


That's Showbiz!

by Lady_Mischievous



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Steampunk 1920's-30's, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-19
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2017-11-19 01:53:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/567732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Mischievous/pseuds/Lady_Mischievous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sternbild, a city of lights, diversity, glitz, glamour, and one hell of a dark underbelly; it's a tough city just to live in, let alone make the big time. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi is what some call a “showbiz veteran” he was once a “song and dance man” in a famous dancing duo with his wife Tomoe Kaburagi. However, after the tragedy of her death Kotetsu retired from the world of show business. Nowadays he finds himself just trying to get by in life while trying to be a good father to his daughter, Kaede. However fate seems to have other things in mind as it takes a sudden turn in a new direction when he’s challenged by a handsome young blond with glasses. Kotetsu finds himself dragged back into the showbiz game, but will it be for the better? Or for the worst?</p><p>Important Author's Note: The entire fic is being revised and rewritten for better quality. As soon as I finish the other chapters I will finish the next chapter and put it out there for you. I apologize for the inconvenience.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

It was safe to say that there weren't a lot of places quite like Sternbild in the world. To many it was considered the place to be. A shining metropolis, decorated with lights that glittered like jewels and where the latest technology could be found. Steamships and airships could be seen around the city as something common. Whereas in the countryside, such sites were rather rare. Even the skyscrapers seemed like something otherworldly. Many were adorned with sculptures and carvings of creatures and Gods that had been long since forgotten. Science did away with such beliefs.

 

To many Sternbild was considered a city of dreams, where almost anything could happen. People sought to earn their fortune in the city, from the countryside or from other countries entirely. They made their way with stars in their eyes and dreams in their hearts. Many came in search of fame, while there were others that searched for freedom. But as much as it was a city of dreams it could also easily be a city of nightmares. Though its face was full of promise, underneath all that glamour and glory the city was rife with darkness and corruption. Its streets were bright with tempting neon attractions but Sternbuild's underbelly harbored crime like festering rot. Its back alleys were like cracks in its shiny façade, glimpses of the seedy underworld that lay beneath. Often that darkness seeped out into the streets like poison. Shifty people weaving through a sea of dreamers, a dirty rock amongst diamonds. If one was not careful one could see themselves swept away and eaten alive by the city.

 

The low rumble of thunder echoed through the sky; it had been raining the entire day. It had been a light rain. Fairly gentle most of the time, though on occasion the light patter would shift into a sudden downpour before returning to the gentle melodic patter that slowly soaked the streets of Sternbild. The clouds above threatened the city with a storm but never quite saw through with that threat.

 

Music drifted out from the open doorway of a Silver Stage district theater in one of the classier parts of Sternbild. It was coming from one of the practice rooms. Inside two forms glided together gracefully, dancing to an old show tune - a favorite in many parts of the city. The rain fell heavier and pattered noisily against the open window pane but the occupants of the practice room neither seemed to notice nor care.

 

Their feet clacked at first in unison as they danced along the hardwood floor of the practice room. After a few minutes they began to tap individually, taking turns as though challenging one another playfully. The partners were a young couple in their teens. One was a girl; fair skinned and slender, yet well toned from years of practice and performance and dance. She was refined with long dark brown hair that added to her graceful look. Now though, her hair was tied up in a bun so not to accidentally whip the other teen with it in the face. Her partner was a young man; he was very tan and had a worker's build from labouring both on and off the stage. He wasn't as refined as she and he had long spindly legs that he had to keep mindful of. His hair was an attractive reddish brown, though his most fetching feature was his amber colored eyes.

 

The pair danced very well together. Their moves were timed well, save for a few stylistic differences, and they seemed to instinctively know what to do when the other improvised a part or two. The young woman jumped into the young man's arms, he held her aloft as she stuck a graceful pose. She set down, but she held onto her partner's hand for longer than she meant to and accidentally threw off her partner's balance. One of the young man's tap shoes suddenly slipped and he landed hard on the floor.

 

"Come on Kotetsu! You're not even trying!" the girl scolded her dancing partner. She looked down at the fallen boy and sighed. They had to get this right, the show was too close. "We have a show tomorrow, so we have to be sure that we're ready, especially since there are going to be critics there. A good review would give our reputation of great boost."

 

Kotetsu sat on the hardwood floor where he landed. His behind felt a little sore from how he hit the floor. He looked up at Tomoe a little tired because they had been practicing all day without a break. "You know Tomoe, it probably wouldn't have happened if you didn't throw me off balance like that."

 

"Don't blame me for your mistakes you should have been prepared." Tomoe argued.

 

She knew that she sounded harsh but it was going to be a big show for the both of them so there was no room for mistakes. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kotetsu's skill, she knew that he was very capable. The two of them had been dancing together as an act for a couple of years. Even if they bickered once in a while they did trust each other.

 

"It was your mistake this time!" Kotetsu countered, he didn't want to be blamed for something that he didn't do.

 

He frowned at Tomoe but it wasn't long before his expression softened a little. They were both nervous, it was a grander show than usual. A high class theater for high class entertainment. The audience that they were to entertain was going to expect a lot from them.

 

"I'm not mad or anything, but you've been a little flaky lately. Are you okay?" Kotetsu suddenly received a small wrap on the head from his partner. "Ow!"

 

"I am not a flake! I'm fine! I've just had some things on my mind lately." Tomoe finally admitted with a a little stubbornness. She then cast Kotetsu look and pointed to him. “And you’re one to talk! You’ve been acting really strange lately, and it’s starting to show in your dancing.”

 

"W-well that’s…That’s another matter entirely!" Kotetsu stuttered nervously. He couldn't look Tomoe in the eye without blushing after that. He could feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he felt embarrassed. He looked away from her and scratched the back of his head.

 

“Ben’s been saying you’ve been running off with Antonio a lot lately too.” Tomoe added with an as a matter-of-fact tone.

 

She had nothing against Antonio and Kotetsu hanging out together. However the problem was that Kotetsu couldn't afford pulling his usual strange shenanigans. They'd be in big trouble if he got himself locked up and forced to miss the show. There would be time for that after the big day.

 

“You two better not be causing trouble, remember what happened last time? You both ended up in a police station holding cell and it took both of our pay to get the two of you out of there.”

 

“Well you didn’t have to pay for Antonio.” Kotetsu grumbled as he thought back on that miserable little incident.

 

“He’s my friend too, Kotetsu!” Tomoe proclaimed. She was a little shocked that he would even say such a thing. “We’re all friends; neither of us would have left you to rot in there.”

 

“…Y-yeah, I know.” Kotetsu admitted.

 

Guilt weighed down on him when he realized just how much he must have sounded like a jerk. He couldn't help it if he was a little blunt. But then again, with what Antonio had been helping him with, it was still a lousy thing to say. The guilt then felt even worse.

 

“Antonio's been helping me with something, that’s all.” He finally admitted. “I’m not telling you what it is yet.”

 

Tomoe nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. Kotetsu was keeping secrets like this was nothing new but she still wished he’d tell her what was going on. In all honesty, she was getting a little worried that he was searching for a new act. There were rumors that talent scouts and other agents were looking at the both of them. Kotetsu had enough skill and stage presence where he could attract the eyes of people looking for new talent. As did Tomoe for that matter; her skill and discipline were something that would be highly valued.

 

She would notice when Kotetsu was talking with Ben or when strangers approached him trying to talk business with him. Tomoe was starting to get offers too though, some of which were very tempting. Things like shows on Broadway and opportunities to join famous dance companies. They were things that she used to dream about when she was still in dance school. Yet, Tomoe wasn’t willing to just leave the act and what she had with Kotetsu. They had worked so hard to get as good as they were. They were a team. Maybe even something more than that.

 

Tomoe felt herself blush at the sudden thought. There had been times when Kotetsu and her were easily more than just friends. Moments where they clearly felt something for each other but didn't have the words or courage to say it. It as easy as one would think, saying three simple little words. They were both very stubborn. It was an unspoken agreement that the two of them were in love. Maybe that was the real reason why neither of them would accept new contracts. But if that was true, then why was Kotetsu talking with other agents?

 

“Hello? Tomoe? Tomoe!” Kotetsu called as he snapped his fingers in front of her. He was a little worried, it wasn't all that often she would space out like that. Perhaps a break would be a good idea for the both of them.

 

“W-what?” Tomoe said with a blink. She was taken a little off guard, she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize that he was talking to her still.

 

“You were starting to scare me a little there; you just went off into some dreamland.” Kotetsu said with a weary smile. He was getting a little worried about her, maybe she had been working too hard and needed a rest. Maybe she needed to talk, though admitedly, he wasn't best at such things but he did his best to listen. “I’m sorry for all the trouble, I’ll work harder. But are you okay? If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me, you know?”

 

"You're not exactly an open book yourself, Kotetsu." Tomoe pointed out. "You never like talking about your own problems, but you keep getting involved in everyone else's. Don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite?"

 

"Ouch! As usual you hit me right where it hurts!" Kotetsu jested as he dramatically put a hand over his heart. He did it in hopes of getting Tomoe to laugh a little.

 

Instead, it backfired on him. Tomoe was none too impressed with Kotetsu's childish behavior. "And you are still just a silly circus clown."

 

That time Kotetsu really did look like his feelings were hurt. He scratched the back of his head and looked away from his partner. "I guess the circus never really leaves you, huh?"

 

There was a long, awkward silence between them. Tomoe knew that she hit a nerve that time. While a lot of people in show business got their start in various ways, some were seen as a little more embarrassing than others. Kotetsu wasn't really proud of his days in the circus. It was a part-time job along with working in local theaters as a janitor and being stagehand.  Compared to Tomoe's prestigious background, it made Kotetsu a little self-conscious. She had the opportunity to study dance at a professional school. He had to pick up tricks from whoever was willing to teach him and improvise. There was no contest between the two.

 

"Hey Tomoe, how long have we been partners in this act?" Kotetsu asked.

 

Tomoe looked at Kotetsu a little surprised. "What brought that up?"

 

Kotetsu smiled a little. "I just want to know, I guess. Is that a crime?"

 

"I'd say about over two years now." Tomoe said in a matter of fact tone. She turned away from Kotetsu, her expression softened a little. Kotetsu had been asking all sorts of strange questions at the strangest times lately. It only continued to feed her suspicions that things between them were coming to an end. Things such as how she felt about them being partners or why she's been turning down other more well paying contracts. She tried asking Ben what was the reason for Kotetsu's behavior. Strangly he would suddenly clam up and tell her it'd be best if she asked Kotetsu about it herself.

 

Tomoe tried to avoid that option for a while but now was as good a time as any to get to the bottom of this. Even if it was an answer she didn’t want to hear. "What's been with you lately? You've been acting stranger than usual. You've been messing up more during practice and asking all sorts of silly questions. Just tell me already, it’s driving me crazy!"

 

Kotetsu seemed a little surprised that she brought the subject up. He then seemed to think it over for a moment. "Well, I've been thinking, we've been together for some time now. Both of our careers are starting to take off." He then laughed a little at some of the memories. "It sure wasn't easy though, we argued quite a bit at the beginning. But you always kept me on track. I know I complained a lot, but I really appreciated it. When I think about it, I probably wouldn't have even gotten this far without you."

 

Tomoe felt her heart beat quicken, she was starting to feel a little flattered and nervous at the same time. Hearing that he appreciated what she did meant a lot, especially since she’d worry if she was too harsh with him at times. But the unnerving part of it was that Kotetsu was talking about things in all past tense. Did that mean that he didn't feel the same way anymore?

 

"We've been together for a good while now, I kind of want to try a new kind of partner-" Kotetsu stopped when he heard Tomoe sniffle. "H-hey, are you…are you crying? Why?"

 

Tomoe's face was red with her blushing; she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "…I don't want to break up our act." she finally said, a short sob escaped her.

 

"Huh?" Kotetsu looked completely confused. He mentally went over what he had just said. "Who said anything about that?"

 

Tomoe frowned and gave a stubborn sniffle. "That's what you've been trying to talk to me about all this time, wasn't it?"

 

"What? No! No! No! I've been trying to find a way to ask if you’d marry me!" Kotetsu froze for a second after the words left him. He clapped a hand over his mouth while his face flushed a rosey tint from embarrassment. That wasn't exactly the way he wanted to tell her. Weeks of planning had went down the drain all over stupid slip of the tongue.

 

“W-what did you say?” Tomoe's eyes went wide; it took a moment for what she heard to click. "Marry you?"

 

Kotetsu scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner and looked away from her. "S-so no, I wasn't thinking about breaking up the act. I was thinking that we could make it a more 'permanent partnership'." He then bit his bottom lip, saying this was more painful than he thought it would be. Kotetsu couldn't help but think that he probably sounded really lame.

 

Tomoe was quiet for a while as she wiped the tears from her face. She no longer looked like she was about to cry but she had an unreadable look on her face.

 

Kotetsu gave a nervous half laugh and swallowed. He felt light headed and his heart hammered in his chest. Who was he kidding? Like she would honestly want to marry a clown like him. "So I guess that must be a 'no' then, huh?"

 

He felt a little sick to his stomach, he was sure he had messed things up pretty good this time. First he made her cry and now here he was sounding like a moron talking about marriage. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi felt like a jerk, he was pretty sure his life was over in that moment. But before he could apologize and even start to take back what he just said Kotetsu found himself trapped in a hug.

 

"Of course I will you idiot!" Tomoe said against him. She then pulled away a little so she could look Kotetsu in the eye. There seemed to be a new determination burning in her. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you! So come on, let's finish practice and we'll talk more about this, okay?"

 

Kotetsu was dumbfounded. He gave a confused blink as his mind tried to catch up with what just happened. He want to pinch himself just to be sure it wasn't some dream or a cruel hallucination. But no, this was real, he was sure if it. When he looked at Tomoe seeing how happy she was, there was no way it couldn't have been real.

 

"I wouldn't want it to be any other way." He then leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead. “It’s you and me, right?”

 

“That’s right.” Tomoe declared with a confident smile. "Okay, enough of this mushy business! We got a crowd to wow tomorrow so we have to get this routine right!" She then looked down at Kotetsu and gave him a cheeky wink. "After all, we'll be debuting as the future Mrs. and Mr. Kaburagi!"

 

-End of Chapter-


	2. Chapter 2

To say it had been a rough night would have been an understatement. Kotetsu was just returning home from a show as he dragged his feet along the pathway that led to his house. He was exhausted and a mess; he smelled heavily of vegetables and smoke from cigarettes and cigars. There were pieces of old vegetables stuck on his clothing and in his hair. The muscles of his legs ached, his entire body felt heavy, and there were bags under his eyes from having restless nights. The audience wasn't very big that night and even less easy to entertain. Unless they managed to hit you with a vegetable or heckled someone to the point where they would leave the stage.

 

Things just weren’t the same; show business in general seemed to be going into a slump. Gone were the good old days, motion pictures and the world of song and dance were at odds with each other. There were some cases where the two would go hand in hand, but that left things like vaudeville to slowly wither and die.

 

Kotetsu had gotten offers for legitimate and well paying jobs. The problem was they’d take him far from Sternbild and he couldn’t leave the city with how things were at home. On top of that the offers were also starting to dry up. Kotetsu was running out of options since the name 'Kaburagi' was slowly fading from the show business circles. Day by day Kotetsu could feel himself being slowly backed into a corner and the stress was starting to show. It hurt knowing that there would probably be nothing that he could do to save his career. Yet, that wasn't his top priority, he was home so it was time to put on a smiling face. It was the least that he could do.

 

Kotetsu stopped at the doorstep of his home and took a moment to brush off a couple pieces of tomato that he had missed. He, Tomoe, and their daughter Kaede had all lived together in a quaint two story house. They had bought the place before Kaede was born, figuring that they needed to give the baby and themselves a steady place to call home. It was an accomplishment that they were proud of since they earned everything from their hard work. The Kaburagi’s even turned the basement into a practice studio so they could stay sharp on their routines. They were even starting to show little Kaede some of the basics. Life seemed perfect as if they were living a dream. Yet all that started to change once Tomoe slowly became ill. The life that they had worked so hard to put together was beginning to deteriorate as her health declined.

 

Upon entering the house Kotetsu could hear the sound of vegetables being chopped up in the kitchen. He caught the scent of a home-cooked meal that was being prepared. Kotetsu slowly made his way down the hall and towards the kitchen. Half of him was hoping to see Tomoe there, but the more logical side of him knew better.

 

"Oh, so you're back already, Kotetsu?" It was his mother, Anju Kaburagi. She was resilient and independent woman that was well known for her 'no nonsense' attitude.

 

She and Kotetsu's older brother Muramasa, owned a liquor store in the city. Anju would come to Kotetsu and Tomoe's house to help care for Tomoe and Kaede while Kotetsu did touring or performed locally.

 

"I put Kaede to bed already and also Tomoe had another check up today."

 

Kotetsu looked uneasy; he could feel the sickening sensation in his stomach. Another doctor visit, another checkup, and more than likely no good news to come from any of it. Part of Kotetsu still tried to hold up a little bit of hope though. He took a brief moment to ready himself and finally asked, "How did it go?"

 

"So far there's not much improvement in her condition. They said that it seems it will more than likely get worse pretty soon." Anju said solemnly. There was no point in lying to her son, no good would come from it as they both knew what was more than likely coming. "I don't think I have to tell you what that probably means."

 

Kotetsu would have been lying if he said the thought wasn't always in the back of his mind. It was a little fear that would slowly gnaw at him when he thought about Tomoe's health. The longer she went without showing signs of getting better the more that fear grew. Kotetsu would try to stamp it out with reassurances that Tomoe was a tenacious woman. Sometimes he'd try to drown the thought by going out to have a drink or three at one of the local bars with Antonio. Yet the fear would still come back and haunt him like some kind of specter that took joy in taunting him.

 

"Ignoring it won't make it better, Kotetsu." Anju abruptly added. Her voice shook her son from his thoughts. "I think it's time that you start preparing for the worst and start to get your affairs in order."

 

It was then that Kotetsu faced his mother and snapped at her, "Like what, mom? Funeral arrangements? It's still a little too early to tell if she's really going to die and you're acting like it's time to bury her!"

 

He was suddenly met with a stinging slap across the face. On reflex Kotetsu held a hand to his reddened cheek and backed away a a little from the woman. He still couldn't escape her unrelenting glare though.

 

"Don't you ever raise your voice like that to your own mother! I taught you to be better than that!" Anju said in a strict tone. It was frightening how such a tiny woman could make a grown man cower. It didn't matter if it was one of her own sons or an unruly customer, Anju could put anyone in their place if she had to. "I don't care how old or strong you think you are. I will knock you into next week if you are that disrespectful to me again."

 

Kotetsu remained silent; he averted his eyes to avoid the woman's harsh gaze. He would half admit that he had it coming, he didn't mean to snap at her like that. Kotetsu was just on edge but that still wasn't an excuse for what he did. It was just getting harder to act like he believed everything was going to be okay. Maybe that was a sign that it was time to finally drop the act.

 

"I wasn't exactly talking about funeral arrangements. Though, you may want to keep those in mind." Anju added solemly. "I was talking about you finding a new line of work. You've stopped taking contracts and shows that would take you out of state because of Tomoe's health. And these shows at the smaller theaters have you making a fool of yourself more than anything. You have to consider looking for something more stable, Kotetsu." she said while keeping a firm tone present in her voice. "Something less sporadic and fickle as theater. You could work for your brother or maybe get a factory job."

 

"Let's not talk about this right now mom." Kotetsu interrupted. He was mindful of his own tone, not wanting to earn anymore of his mother’s wrath. "I'll look into my options, but right now I need some time to think about things."

 

"You have a daughter to think about, Kotetsu. I would think that should be enough on its own to bring you to your senses." Anju uttered with a small sigh.

 

She shook her head at him. She couldn't understand why he couldn't see how pointless it was for him to be in theater. He was still strong and would make a fine factory worker or could be helpful in the shop. Though good pay was still little hard to come by, at least it was something more stable.

 

"You're such a troublesome son sometimes."

 

"I'm going to go talk to Tomoe now." Kotetsu stated as he left his mother and the kitchen. He made his way for the stairs and up to the second floor of the house.

 

Tomoe was to be kept in a separate room from Kotetsu's by orders of the doctor. Kotetsu approached her room quietly just in case if she was asleep. He could catch glimpse of her from the hallway since the door to her room was wide open. Tomoe was sitting up in bed reading one of her books and peace. There was something serene about the way she looked. She seemed far away engrossed in the world that the book had taken her to. She only looked up from her reading when she heard the telltale sound of a particular floorboard creaking in the hallway. A smile grew on her face when she saw Kotetsu standing in the doorway.

 

"Hello darling..." Kotetsu crooned as he walked in Tomoe's room. It was surprisingly easy to smile when he looked at her. Even with the circumstances Tomoe was still the light of his life. Kotetsu then walked over to her bed, leaned in, and gave her a loving kiss on the cheek. "How is the world's loveliest woman today?"

 

Tomoe smile never left her face but she did quirk a brow at what he said. "You're so corny."

 

"Corny? Or dashingly charming?" Kotetsu said with a cheeky grin and gave her a mischievous wink.

 

"Nope, you're just corny." Tomoe said with the sassiest smile she could muster.

 

"Ouch, as usual, you get me right where it hurts!" Kotetsu jested dramatically as he held a hand over his heart in mock pain.

 

Tomoe laughed at the at the little show her husband put on for her. It may Kotetsu happy to see that she was in good spirits. However that smile quickly faded when he noticed Tomoe started to have a violent coughing fit.

 

"Tomoe?!" Kotetsu reached out and rubbed her back like he was told to in the events of fits like those. A feeling of guilt settled in his stomach as he watched how she struggled to stop. When the coughing finally subsided Kotetsu gave a relieved sigh and said, "I-I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking."

 

"It's okay, I've been doing pretty well today. There's no need for you to be all worried." Tomoe said as reassuringly as she could. "I'm not made of glass, I'm not going to break so easily."

 

"Y-yeah, I know that, show business has made you tough as nails." Kotetsu said while trying to sound confident. He didn't want her to see that he was still a little shaken by that scare. Tomoe's coughing fits had made him a little jumpy in recent weeks. He was afraid that any one of them could easily be her last. "I know you're going to be as right as rain soon enough."

 

Tomoe's smile became a little more wary, she could see how hard Kotetsu was trying. The both of them knew how slim the chances were of that happening. "Kotetsu, we've been married for over five years now, I know you very well by now. I know you're mother probably told you about the doctor's visit today. I could tell the moment you came into my room."

 

"It was that obvious, huh?" Kotetsu said with a small, forced laugh as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

 

Tomoe pointed to Kotetsu's cheek. "Well, the red mark was a dead giveaway. No amount of acting can hide something like that."

 

"Yeah, I guess you could say that our talk didn't exactly go over too well. I'll apologize to her a little later. We both kind of need to calm down first." Kotetsu said, his voice had become a little more sullen.

 

There was no point in hiding how he really felt around Tomoe. It was something he'd do on instinct and it'd fool almost everyone else except her. She'd often joke with him, telling him he could be an actor with the masks he could on for people.

 

"Come over here Kotetsu..." Tomoe said as she patted a spot next to her on her bed.

 

The bed was a little too small to seat the both of them comfortably. So Kotetsu pulled up a chair next to her bed, sat down and laid his head on his folded arms that he rested on the bedside. Tomoe started to run her fingers through Kotetsu's hair, scratching his scalp gently. He loved it when she would scratch his head like that. His body gave a slight shiver as he felt himself relax. It was as if Tomoe was sending all the dark thoughts that had been in his mind away.

 

"How was the show this time, dear? I want to hear all about it, were you able to pack the crowds and today?" Tomoe asked as she continued to gently massage Kotetsu scalp. She could tell when Kotetsu would make things up just to make her feel better. Still, she also missed the business and liked to hear about it, even if it was a half-truth.

 

"I think I did pretty well today, I got up there and I sung and danced up a storm." Kotetsu chirped with a smile. However it wasn't too long before it faded. He didn't really feel like embellishing the story that much this time. "The crowds have been pretty rough lately. I can't exactly pack in a crowd like I used to. Vaudeville isn't exactly as big of a thing anymore. That and I'm probably getting too old for the game. I'm not exactly a match for any of these new talents."

 

Tomoe couldn't help but frown a little when she heard that. Now Kotetsu was being ridiculous. She knew that her husband could still dance rings around a bunch of rookies.

 

"Now don't go talking like that! You know that there are plenty of performers out there that are twice your age that are still in the show business game." Tomoe then lifted Kotetsu's face so that he could look at her. "What you need is a good opportunity to take part in a real show. Not these little dive bars and seedy theaters."

 

Kotetsu laughed, it was the first time he genuinely laughed that day.

 

"Maybe, but it's just that it's not really the same without you there dancing with me." He smiled as he thought about the good old days when he and Tomoe would travel across the country together. The two of them would perform in the big shows, they'd perform in theaters, or as special guests for special events. They'd waltz romantically to classical music or they would sing and dance together to the music of big band jazz. "We'd really packed them in the seats back then, didn't we? We almost even made the big time."

 

Tomoe smiled as she thought back on those times. She could easily admit it was the best part of her life. Being married to her partner, both working their dream jobs, having a child, and a place to call their own. Tomoe felt that she was blessed to have that much, even if her time in the world was to be cut short.

 

"I know, I remember. We were nicknamed the 'Dancing Lovers'. You were 'the man with the agility and strength of a tiger' and I was 'the woman with the grace and beauty of a swan'." She then gave a small laugh. "Leave it to Ben to come up with such silly things."

 

"I thought you came up with the 'tiger' thing?" Kotetsu asked with a smirk. "You said I was a lot stronger than I looked."

 

"Oh, that's right! I did! Ben just came up with the 'Dancing Lovers' name. Which means...You came up with the hackneyed 'swan' nonsense!" Tomoe smiled as she ruffled Kotetsu's hair. "Honestly, you come up with the strangest things sometimes. Just what goes on in that head of yours?" she laughed when she saw the sheepish smile that Kotetsu gave her. "Oh well, it doesn't really matter I suppose. I love you all the same for it."

 

Kotetsu enjoyed the attention Tomoe gave to him, for a moment he was able to forget how grim the situation really was. He could feel Tomoe ease up on the rough treatment on his hair as she went back to scratching his head gently.

 

"You've always been such a strange and silly man, even back when I first met you." Tomoe mused, thinking of that time fondly. "Despite all that you were still always oddly charming all the same." Her smile faded but never completely left her face. "Kotetsu, I have never regretted having you as my husband; I want you to always remember that. Even when I'm gone I want you to know that I'll always be proud of both you and Kaede. Even if my life is short you both made it a life that was worth living."

 

Kotetsu stayed quiet, he was thankful to hear her say that but it also left him very sad as well. Tomoe must have accepted her fate, which meant that he finally had to as well. He could feel his heart sink in his chest and his eyes became a little teary. No matter how hard he would fight for her or how much he would try to hold on to her, there was nothing he could do. Kotetsu hated feeling so powerless, especially when it involved someone that he loved so dearly. He wouldn't dare show any emotion, he didn't want Tomoe to know how her words had left him so torn.

 

"Your mother was telling me that I should try to convince you to leave show business, especially with the way things are going." Tomoe said with a weary smile. She remembered how Anju was talking to her the other day, telling her to reason with Kotetsu. "But, I'd like it if you somehow kept dancing, even if it's not on stage in front of a cheering audience. Even if it's for those times when you're feeling a little nostalgic. When you do, try to think of us and all the good times we had together."

 

Without a word Kotetsu sat himself up in his chair, took Tomoe's hand, pressed it to his lips, and gave it a small kiss. It was a silent agreement because words were both too hard to form and were unneeded by that point.

 

-End of Chapter-


	3. Chapter 3

"One…Two…Three…Four…One…Two…Three…Four…" Kotetsu called out in a dispassionate tone as he clapped his hands along to the beat. Even if he sounded disinterested he watched his students and kept an eye on just how they were performing. He was sorting through the students that were there because they wanted to be and those that didn't.

 

A ragtime tune by the name of the 'Magnetic Rag' by Scott Joplin played from a record player nearby. It's bouncy upbeat tune served as practice music for a line of students that were practicing some the basics of tap dancing. Some ungracefully failed, others actually did pretty well, and a few weren't even trying at all. Either way the sight was still an eyesore. It was times like these that made Kotetsu worry about the youth of this day and age. Whatever happened to passion and determination? Kotetsu was starting to wonder if even half of this class won't be here at all. The more that he watched the more disappointed he became and the more disappointed he became the more he wanted to go for a drink.

 

"Okay, okay, stop! Just stop!" Kotetsu called out suddenly. He walked to the front of class and waited for all the students to stop the routine. He looked them all over meeting each one of them in the eye. He wanted to make sure that he had their attention. "Okay, be honest with me, how many of you are here because your parents forced you to be here?"

 

As suspected, about half of his class raised their hands. One of Kotetsu's eyebrows twitched at this. Maybe he was just really old-fashioned but he couldn't teach those that didn't want to learn.

 

"Okay, you guys don't come back. I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for you." Kotetsu declared, much to the shock of some of the students. "Meanwhile, those of you that are actually here to learn something, be here at the usual time. Class dismissed!"

 

There were a mix some grumbles and cheering among the students as they filed out the room. Some of them threw Kotetsu dirty looks, a couple others muttered crude insults at the teacher. Words such as 'has been', 'daft bastard', and 'washed up old hoofer' were heard as they passed him by. As the last of the students had left, another pair of students from a different class peered into the practice room. They watched as Kotetsu's students left, tossed a look to each other, and then back at the cranky dance teacher.

 

One was a boy in his late teens; he had a fair complexion, platinum blonde hair, and violet eyes that matched his violet jacket. The other was a petite teenaged girl; with a surprisingly sturdy build. She had fetching green eyes, short dirty blonde hair, and was dressed in a yellow track suit. They were both students of the Apollon School of Dance, sent there by their agents to study and improve their skills.

 

"Come on, do you think we should be bothering him right now, Pao-Lin?" The boy asked nervously as he looked back to the dismissed students. Chances were that Kotetsu had just kicked out half of this class, again. It was something that he had become quite notorious for in the school. "Mr. Kaburagi seems a bit irritated right now."

 

"Quit being a wet blanket Ivan, of course now's a good time! He hasn't run off yet to go get a drink." Pao-Lin said with a cheeky smile. Kotetsu's love for the drink was something else that he was a little notorious for. Something that student and teacher alike would poke a little fun at behind the man's back. "We can try to cheer him up!"

 

She turned to walk into the dance room, only to almost bump into Kotetsu himself. Pao-Lin suddenly jumped with a start, not expecting him to pop up and surprise her.

 

"Hey, just what are you two little monkeys up to now?" Kotetsu asked with his hands on his hips and looking at them with a quirked brow. "Shouldn't the two of you both be in class right now instead of bothering a 'washed up old hoofer' like me?"

 

"Hi there Kotetsu!" Pao-Lin then walked right into the dance room paying no heed to what the man had to say.

 

Kotetsu frowned at Pao-Lin, no respect from kids these days. It was then that he felt the eyes of Ivan on him. He looked back at the pale boy for a moment and gave a short sigh, "Well? Are you just going to stand around there? Just come in already instead of looking at me like a kicked puppy."

 

Ivan smiled a little and perked up from his usual gloomy attitude. He finally hurried into the practice room followed by Kotetsu.

 

"You're both lucky that I like you or else I would've tossed you both out by the seat of your pants." Kotetsu grumbled as he followed them into the room. Lord knew he couldn't trust them there by themselves.

 

They were good kids, though they did tend to skip out on classes a bit too often for his liking. Not to mention somehow the two little monkeys usually managed to find some way to get into trouble around the Apollon building. Such as the time Kotetsu caught them blowing up a toilet or that other time he found them both stuck in the ventilation system.

 

"Like you did to half of your class?" Ivan chimed in with a hint of laughter. He found the irony in what Kotetsu said and what he did just earlier a little funny. However he was surprised to find both Pao-Lin and Kotetsu looking at him, not amused.

 

"Ivan that was way too soon. You really need to learn better timing." Pao-Lin uttered in a flat tone. She looked at Kotetsu and said apologetically, "I'm sorry about that. Ivan noticed all the students leaving your classroom so he just assumed."

 

"M-Me!?" Ivan's eyes went wide at the betrayal. "W-what about you!? This was your idea, remember?!"

 

It seemed like his voice fell on deaf ears as he saw Kotetsu gave him a disappointed look. Ivan felt a sudden surge of embarrassment well up in his chest and cast his eyes down at the hardwood floor of the practice room.

 

"Hey Ivan, remember what I told you before? Look people in the eye when you're talking to them." Kotetsu said as he reached out and grabbed Ivan by the chin. He lifted the boy's head so he would make eye contact with him. "You can't trust a man that can't hold eye contact with you."

 

Ivan blushed slightly; he was never really the confident type. Though he didn't often show it outwardly, he did appreciate Kotetsu telling them things like that. Ivan  tried to straighten himself out and he looked him right in the eye. In return he received a ruffling of his hair and a smile from the cranky dance teacher.

 

"As for those students..." Kotetsu began, he gave a disappointed sigh before he continued. "I can't do anything for them if they don't actually want to learn. They don't pay me enough to waste my god damn time like that."

 

"I'd be careful if I were you, you might end up regretting saying that." Pao-Lin mentioned. She looked thoughtful for a moment before she continued, "Because if you keep doing that you're going to end up getting fired one of these days. Then you won't be making any money at all."

 

Kotetsu blinked and looked at her a little dumbfounded. Pao-Lin's words caught him off guard. What she said was true and something he didn't think too much about.

 

"U-Uh... That's actually a very good point there..." Kotetsu mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

He could only imagine all the complaints that were heading his way from the angry parents. His thoughts then drifted to one of the warnings that his boss, Mr. Lloyds, gave him a couple weeks ago. Soon Kotetsu found that he felt a little sick to his stomach, hopefully he didn't mess up too bad this time.

 

"Um, I've been kind of wanting...to ask." Ivan began, "Why does it bother you if the students don't really want to learn anyway? It's just part of the job, isn't it?"

 

Kotetsu looked a little disappointed but he couldn't really blame them for not understanding. While he didn't want to admit it, he probably seemed a bit old-fashioned to them. "Well, back when I was their age you had to be dedicated to get anywhere in show business."

 

"Wow, it's all hard to imagine you being that young." Pao-Lin laughed as she tried to get a mental image of what Kotetsu could've looked like when he was younger. "You always seem so cranky, kind of like my grandma."

 

Kotetsu cleared his throat to get their attention. "Anyway, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. A lot of the kids I've had to teach don't have a passionate bone in their body. It's mostly parents wasting their money so that their precious little bundle of joy can learn how to shuffle. It irritates me because when I was that age I couldn't go to a dance school like this."

 

"You didn't?" Ivan asked with a blink. "How did you learn how to dance then?"

 

"I started out by picking up tricks here and there. I learned a lot of what I know from vaudeville." Kotetsu explained as he thought back on that time in his life. He remembered working backstage of the vaudeville theaters for a little extra cash. He got to meet a lot talent. Some of which were kind enough to teach him a little of their trade. "I learned the basics, some of the moves of other performers, and eventually I made my own from all that. That's how I started out, anyway."

 

"Hey, what is 'vaudeville' anyway?" Pao-Lin asked. "I've heard it being mentioned by some of the teachers before. I think some of them were in vaudeville."

 

"It's possible." Kotetsu mentioned as he thought about it. "I'm surprised you guys don't know what that is though, it used be a pretty big thing here."

 

"Well were not originally from this country so it's not exactly like we would automatically know." Ivan added cautiously.

 

"Okay, what's vaudeville..." Kotetsu thought aloud as he tried to find the right place to begin. Finally he snapped his fingers and started to explain, "I guess the simplest way to put it is to think of a variety show. A vaudeville show is made up of a few acts that aren't related to each other that show different talents. Like magicians doing magic tricks, animal trainers having their animals perform, singers and dancers like me, and even actors."

 

"Wow, that would be cool getting to meet magicians!" Pao-Lin said as her eyes practically shined at the idea. "Did you see cool magic tricks?"

 

Kotetsu gave a nervous laugh as he remembered one particular incident. "Ah, I knew a magician that was so good at his disappearing act that at his last show he disappeared and they never found him."

 

"Wow, he must have been really good!" Ivan said, rather impressed.

 

"That or he was trying to escape his debt collectors." Kotetsu mentioned as he thought about it. "Hopefully they never figured out his trick or that magician might have ended up disappearing into the Hudson River." It didn't take too long for him to notice the shocked looks that he was getting from Pao-Lin and Ivan. "What? Money can come really hard if you're not successful in the business. Sometimes people get desperate."

 

"Were you ever desperate?" Pao-Lin asked, expecting a silly answer. When he failed to respond to her question right away she looked up at him curiously.

 

Kotetsu was quiet for a long moment. He seemed to be thinking about that answer carefully. "Well, maybe I had a job or two where I had to break a few noses and bust a few kneecaps." Kotetsu looked at them and noticed the uncomfortable gazes that he was getting from the kids. "Hey, I'm just joking with you. Come on, do I really look like that kind of guy?"

 

"Well, maybe..." Ivan didn't think it was too far-fetched of an idea. Even if Kotetsu wasn't the tallest, he was still a well-built man in his own right. Ivan dared a quick glance at Kotetsu's hands.  It wasn't that hard to believe that the man's fists could break somebody's face with little trouble. What shook Ivan a little more, was the fact that Kotetsu suddenly seemed unwilling to look them in the eye.

 

"So, did you meet anyone famous in vaudeville?" Pao-Lin asked, a little anxious to move the topic away from Kotetsu's possible criminal history.

 

"A lot of famous people actually got their start in vaudeville." Kotetsu explained with a smile, glad for the change in subject. "Let's see, I know James Cagney got his start in it. Other big names like Fred Astaire and his sister Adele performed in vaudeville too. They all hit the big time and ended up getting into film, they got really lucky." Kotetsu smiled a little, remembering briefly how close Tomoe and him had gotten to making it big. "I also met the guy that inspired me to get into show business on the stage when I was a kid. You two wouldn't know about Mr. Legend, would you?"

 

Pao-Lin and Ivan looked at Kotetsu with surprise everybody knew about Mr. Legend. He was a famous actor that played in a lot of superhero movies. His films were not only played in the Americas but also across the seas as well. Mr. Legend's adventures often caught the imagination and inspired a lot of people around the world.

 

"Wow, tell us about that story! How did you meet Mr. Legend?" Pao-Lin said excitedly.

 

 

Kotetsu smiled fondly, he loved telling that story. "Well I was a little kid at the time, around ten years old. I used to get bullied a lot back then, I was small but I guess you could say I was a little tough guy with a big mouth."

 

"You mean kind of like now?" Ivan added without thinking.

 

"Hey, watch it kid." Kotetsu said with a small laugh. He thought about the day that he met Mr. Legend, how he got himself into trouble trying to protect a friend of his. He got the crap beaten out of him by a local bully and their friends. All he could do was make a mad dash to the local theater because it was the only place he could hide. "I was hiding from a local bully and his goons. I guess you could say I bit off little more than I could chew that time. I snuck into the theater through maintenance entrance and I hid behind stage. They followed me and eventually found me." Kotetsu's hand went to his jaw as he remembered getting a good couple of punches right in the face and tasting his own blood. "I can't remember all the details. Getting punched in the head a few times kind of does that to you. But somehow I fell onto the stage and the punks followed after me. What we didn't expect was to land right in the middle of a show that was going on at the time. Mr. Legend was doing a tribute to vaudeville because that's where he got his start as an actor." Kotetsu remembered just how big Mr. Legend seemed to him back then. It was kind of like Santa Claus, a mythical like figure that meant so much to a kid. "It scared those punks pretty good that's for sure, and probably saved my life."

 

"So I guess Mr. Legend was a hero in real life too, huh?" Ivan said with a smile. "How did he inspire you to get into show business though?"

 

"After getting the crap kicked out of me like that I needed to be patched up. One of the theater staff and Mr. Legend took me backstage to help me with my wounds. Wasn't anything too serious, so I didn't have to go to the hospital. I got off lucky though, I might have called those kids punks but I was a punk too." Kotetsu admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. At that age he would run with other little hooligans if he could and he would get into just as much trouble as they did. "If I kept going the way I was, I wouldn't be standing here with you today. I would probably be some hired goon or some fist fighter missing a bunch of his teeth. Hell, maybe even worse off than that. Mr. Legend made that point to me, I decided that I didn't want to end up like that. Instead I found that I liked the idea of entertaining people. Maybe even give people a little hope like he did for me."

 

"When I think about it that's kind of how I feel like when I dance." Ivan said thoughtfully. He could recall some of the looks of the audience as he and the other dancers were performing on stage. It reminded him of how he enjoyed watching the ballet as a kid. It was always inspiring to Ivan seeing people so graceful and still be strong. "I never really thought that I could really be an inspiration anybody. But thinking about it like that kind of makes me want to try even harder."

 

"Yeah, that's part of the reason why it annoys me when I have students that can't take this stuff a little more seriously." Kotetsu sighed and crossed arms over his chest. He gazed out at the rest of the dance room, getting a mental image of when it was full of students. It was all too easy to tell apart the ones that wanted to learn and who didn't care. "I had a hard time getting my own start. I know back then there were a bunch of people would've killed for an opportunity to take classes. A lot of people like me had to start our way up from the bottom."

 

"How did you get into show business?" Pao-Lin asked, it was a question that was eating at her for a little while now. She looked up at Kotetsu and smiled. "It sounds like it wouldn't have been that easy."

 

"Uh, well, I guess you could say my start was a little embarrassing." Kotetsu said with a small, nervous laugh. He could still hear the circus music and his head and remembered being squashed into those stupid clown cars. "I started off by taking part-time jobs at theaters and I even did a short stint as a dancing circus clown for a little while. I swear, to this day I never want to see another banana cream pie for as long as I live."

 

Both Pao-Lin and Ivan snickered and giggled at the mental image of Kotetsu is a circus clown. The man was usually well-dressed, even if his sense of fashion was a little dated. Imagining a young Kotetsu in things like baggy polkadot pants, a bright fiery red wig, oil makeup, and a big red nose stuck on his face was hilarious. Kotetsu was expecting that kind of reaction, these days he could look back on that and laugh at it too.

 

"Alright, you pair of monkeys, I gotta head out." Kotetsu then turned both the kids around and gave them a nudge towards the door. "I don't run a day care service here, we can talk again some other time. So get back to your classes, I don't need your teacher giving me another death threat."

 

"Aww, you're no fun..." Pao-Lin said as she made her way towards the door with Ivan. "I think that's just her way of saying she likes you. Sometimes I've seen her stare at your butt when you pass her in the halls."

 

Kotetsu looked a little bothered by that information. "That lady is all sorts of crazy, I want nothing to do with that." He tried to shake off the chill he suddenly felt. Kotetsu hoped that it was just Pao-Lin over exageratting things again. "I'll see you guys next time. Thanks for listening to some of my stories."

 

He smiled a little as he watched them leave. Maybe those two little monkeys did cheer him up from time to time. It wasn't every day that he found people interested in his old stories. Kotetsu found it was good to tell them now and then so that he didn't forget them himself.

 

Pao-Lin and Ivan walked down the hall from Kotetsu's classroom. Neither of them were really in a hurry to get back to their own class. They wouldn't be the only ones either. The hallways of Apollon School of Dance were where other dancers and teachers often hung out. Sometimes on break or if they were skipping classes.

 

The entire building had nice little places to explore and hide out in. The lobbies that were at the ends of the hallways where the elevators were had wallpaper and murals. There were paintings on the wall of Sternbild's famous Goddess watching over the city. Entire building interior and exterior design was in the popular Art Deco style. To some, it gave the halls an almost sinister look, especially at night. The school was designed beautifully both inside and out. It had to be since the school not only dealt with teaching classes. Apollon also rented spaces and offices to professionals and business people in the entertainment industry. Apollon was a business that had a lot of connections.

 

It was for that reason that it wasn't all that uncommon to spot the occasional former student or celebrity walking the halls. Not too far away from Pao-Lin and Ivan there was some commotion in the hallway. There was a lot of noise coming from one of the classrooms, it got louder as students started to exit it and move out of the way for somebody.

 

"Looks like there's some sort of guest here." Ivan said as he watched the ruckus. He noticed that there were a few dancers and teachers spying from the doorways of their own classrooms. They all seemed anxious to get a look at the visitor.

 

The little crowd moved away as someone approach them, walking out of the classroom was a handsome young man. He was decently tall, lean and athletic, with a face that was thinner but not too thin, and he had a pair of piercing forest green eyes. He was boldly clad in a let red leather jacket with white on the shoulders and sported a hair style that was somewhat long, but really curly.

 

"I've never seen that guy here before, you think you might be a new student?" Pao-Lin asked as she assessed the man from afar.

 

"I don't think so, I think he's a sort of professional." Ivan said thoughtfully. "You might be a new teacher. You don't think he could be here to replace Kotetsu, do you?"

 

"No way, Kotetsu's cranky but he's still kind of cool." Pao-Lin said with a smile, but she had to admit that thought crossed her mind too.

 

As though they were speaking of the devil himself Kotetsu had just walked out of his classroom with his bag slung over his shoulder. Both Pao-Lin and Ivan watched as he passed and quietly gave them a wave goodbye. He casually made his way down the hall and towards the lobby so he could take the elevator. The fuss over the visitor didn't go unnoticed, as Kotetsu walked by he spared the crowd a glance. For a brief moment his eyes met with the forest green eyes of the blond young man. Kotetsu had to admit that the kid looked handsome but aside from that he didn't give it much more thought. He could see that the elevator had just arrived in the lobby and that he needed to hurry if he wanted to catch it. He waited for the passengers to leave and promptly walked into the elevator when it was empty. After pressing the button for the main floor he spared another glance to the crowd and the strange young man.

 

"Must be some new hotshot talent." Kotetsu thought aloud as he stuffed his free hand in his pocket. The elevator doors closed and that was the last he saw of the blond. Kotetsu half listened to the elevator music as it started to make its way down. He was feeling a little nostalgic thanks to all that storytelling. It left Kotetsu a little restless, something that a drink couldn't always quell. Maybe he would do a little dancing that night too.

 

-End of Chapter 3-


	4. Chapter 4

Topmag bar was a good place to get a drink and relax. The place had a nice charm, warm atmosphere, that catered to Kotetsu's tastes. The bar was nostalgic, the walls displayed quite a few pictures and posters of performers and shows that were big names back in the day. Some of the people in them didn't make it to the big time while others made it to stardom. It didn't matter how far they got in the show business game, they were all from a golden era that brought back a lot fond memories.

 

The bar was the pride and joy of Ben Jackson, the bar's owner and ex-agent of Kotetsu and Tomoe's act. He had left the business of being an agent to talent right after Kotetsu had officially retired. He too noticed that the times were changing and that there probably wasn't a whole lot of room for people who were used to doing business the old-fashioned way. Ben couldn't complain though, he was doing pretty well for himself. The bar had a nice flow of customers and on occasion he had a stage open for anybody who want to give a shot at entertaining the guests. Though there were times where he found that he missed the days of scouting for talent. Finding unpolished gems and getting them to shine on stage was a feeling like no other. But those days were far behind him now.

 

Amongst the din of idle chatter of bar patrons and the occasional pool game, classic show tunes were being played from an old self playing piano. It helped set the mood, which was a little lazy at most. But that was fine for the patrons of the bar because many had come to relax after a hard days work. It definitely made it a little easier to forget about the troubles one had during their day, even if it was just for a little while. Patrons were few at this time of day but sure enough there would be more coming as the day turned into evening.

 

Kotetsu sat on a bar stool across from Ben, who was the bartender for the evening. Sitting to his left was a large, ox of the man, an old friend of Tomoe and him. "I had no idea you'd be in town Tonio, you should have called or sent a post card!"

 

The large man gave a hearty laugh, once he calmed down he took a sip from his glass of bourbon. Everything about the man was large, from his height to his muscular build. He was a Latino man, with attire that was a dead giveaway that he once called the West his home. He had a brown leather jacket, red cowboy boots with black flames on the toes, and a big buckle on his belt that was decorated with an emblem that look like the head of a steer. "What would the point be of surprising you then?"

 

"It's a still little funny though, that a street punk like the notorious "Antonio the Bison" became a celebrated opera singer. Time really does change all things, doesn't it?" Ben said with a smile.

 

"You're telling me..." Antonio gave a small laugh, even he had to admit that there was a little irony in it. At first glance one wouldn't think that he was in such a sophisticated art. Then again, Antonio had a habit of surprising people with his hobbies and interests. "But, I have to ask that you guys keep the dirtier parts of my past under wraps. You know how some reporters can get. They smell any blood in the water and they go after it like sharks."

 

"Hmph, As if you being a punk is really all that bad of a thing. It's like a 'rags to riches' story, isn't it?" Kotetsu said before he took a sip from his glass. He gave Antonio a good clap on the back. "I remember how we used to crack some skulls together when we weren't butting heads ourselves. Ironically, that's also how we became friends, so I don't see how it's a bad thing at all! It builds character if you ask me."

 

"Yeah, well, not in the world of opera." Antonio said with a small sigh. Thinking back on some of the rumors and passing comments he'd hear at some of the functions. He was good, no one doubted that about Antonio, but with that came jealousy. He remembered noticing the sneers and catching some of the whispers behind his back. He wasn't really 'one of them', he knew it and they knew it. "I've already had papers saying I look like a lumbering brute, and that's not even the half of it."

 

"Brute my ass, you're just a 'man's man'." Kotetsu pointed out with a smile. He reached over and gave Antonio's arm a squeeze, feeling the muscle to help emphasize the point. He canted his head to the side when he noticed the embarrassed look that his friend gave him. "Something eating at you, Lopez?"

 

"Ugh...please don't say that 'man's man' crap again." Antonio grumbled as he stared down at the contents of his glass. He then finished his drink in one big gulp and sighed. "I'm already having troubles with a certain 'admirer' of mine."

 

"Oh?" Kotetsu's smile became an impish grin, sometimes he couldn't help but tease the man. He leaned in closer to his friend and gave him a light nudge. "So you're attracting the ladies, huh?"

 

"Ah, no, not exactly." Antonio scoffed. He looked around to make sure that there weren't too many people nearby. He didn't really need people listening in on what they were saying. Last thing he needed was something to end up in the local gossip rag. Antonio leaned in and whispered into Kotetsu's ear. "Remember Nathan Seymour?"

 

Kotetsu gave a confused blink when he heard the name, he didn't see _that_ coming. He pulled away and looked at Antonio in surprise. "Woah, you mean the owner of-"

 

Antonio grabbed Kotetsu in a headlock and covered the man's mouth before any more words could be said. "Yeah, _that_ Nathan." He said in a harsh whisper. "I don't need you to go around shooting your mouth off and mentioning that to _anybody_. Got it Kaburagi?"

 

Ben watched the two as they bickered and whispered. "Glad to see some things never change, you two are still as tight knit as ever." he said with a smile.

 

The two men weren't paying much attention to what he was saying. They were too wrapped up in bickering at each other. Ben didn't mind though, he turned his attention to looking over the other parts of his bar. He could see more people are coming in now and the place was starting to liven up a bit. Ben could see the usual groups arriving to play their nightly game of pool and a few other familiar faces coming for a drink. However, his eyes stopped when they landed on a pair of people that he hadn't seen before. Not that he minded having new customers of course but these two seemed a little out of place in the TopMag bar.

 

"Well, you have to admit, you'd be set for life if you went and got cozy with them." Kotetsu pointed out in a sly tone. They were still whispering like a pair of kids trying to keep a secret.

 

"Hmph! I'm not interested!" Antonio scoffed as he looked down at the empty glass in his hands. He really could have used another drink, but he wasn't too sure if he wanted to risk having too many with Kotetsu that night. Usually that ended up in a bad way and Antonio wasn't in the mood to wake up in a jail cell. There would be more opportunities for something like that another day.

 

"Well why not?" Kotetsu asked while he gave his friend another light nudge. "Do you have eyes on someone else?"

 

"Button your trap, you moron!" Antonio shot back, looking embarrassed. He then spoke in a low grumble, "They said they like my ass but not my face."

 

"Oh...I'm sorry about that." Kotetsu said the slight wince. He knew that as much of a tough guy that Antonio was, he could still be sensitive under that manly exterior. Kotetsu wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder and gave him a hug. "What do they know? Stop your sulking, I think you have a great face."

 

Antonio said nothing but he did smile a little after hearing that. He wasn't sure if Kotetsu meant it but it was a little flattering all the same. Then again, who knew with a guy like him? Maybe he really mean it. Antonio felt a little embarrassed for over thinking such stupid things. He tried to push the thoughts of rude comments and odd thoughts about his best friend to the back of his mind. "Hmph..."

 

Kotetsu gulped down the rest of his drink and set the glass down on the counter. "Well I don't know about you, but evening is still young and I got a little time before I have to go home. How about it? Would you like me to dance for you to cheer you up, Tonio?"

 

Antonio gave a laugh, he always did enjoy his friend's dancing. It never ceased to amaze him how Kotetsu could move with such long, clumsy legs. "Yeah, I'd like that. The real question is though, are you sure that you haven't lost your edge yet?"

 

"Heh, I'll make you eat those words, you silly cow bastard." Kotetsu playfully smirked when he saw his little verbal jab earned a snort from his friend. He walked over to the old piano to change the music. He needed something a little more lively to dance to.

 

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, there was a table not that far from the entrance of the bar. Seated there were the two men that caught Ben's attention earlier. One of them was the young man that had visited the Apollon school of dance earlier that day. His name was Barnaby Brooks Jr. and he was fresh in from traveling across the seas on an airship.

 

While Barnaby was a Sternbild native it had been a long time since he was in the city. Even if it was his hometown Barnaby couldn't remember a lot of the time he spent there since he left it behind when he was a child. His life had been full of travel, traveling to California and a few other places in the Americas. He even spent quite some time in Europe so he could study abroad. Now here he was once again, in a place he should have been able to call home. However Sternbild was like a stranger to him. He didn't have a lot of memories of the time that he spent here. The ones that he did have were a little hard to hang onto, maybe he'd have a better time remembering if he had chance to look around on his own.

 

Barnaby stared out the window of the bar, looking out at the towering skyscrapers and watching the passing cars, horse-drawn carriages, and busy denizens of the city walk by. He felt a little anxious, which was odd since travel and new places hadn't really bothered him much before. Sitting across the table from Barnaby was an older man. He was his 'uncle', at least through adoption, and close friend to his deceased parents. The old man seemed to notice that the Barnaby seemed off ever since they had arrived in Sternbuild.

 

"Such a terrible face Barnaby..." other man remarked suddenly, there was a slight joking tone in his voice. "Be mindful of yourself, you just might end up scaring a random passerby making a face like that." the man said with a laugh.

 

He was an elderly man, with silvery gray hair and tired pale blue eyes. He had an air of business about him, he was dressed in a personally tailored dark suit with a gold silk tie that had an emblem of a butterfly embroidered on it. He seemed distinguished and experienced in the ways of the world. Unfortunately, his most eye catching feature was not his well made suit or experienced presence, but a large mole that was right in the middle of his forehead.

 

"But really now Barnaby my boy, what is with that face? I thought you would have liked coming back to Sternbild."

 

"There's nothing wrong Uncle Maverick, I think I'm just tired." Barnaby said with a small smile, he didn't want to seem ungrateful to his uncle.

 

"Oh come now my boy, something is troubling you, it's obvious." Maverick said with a look of concern. "Maybe you need something to get your mind off your troubles."

 

Soon both men took notice at the sound of cheering on the other side bar. The lazy music of before had been switched with a more fast-paced and jolly tune. Barnaby and Maverick looked out towards where the cheering had been coming from. They could see some of the bar patrons closer to the stage where there was a man tap dancing for them.

 

Kotetsu it started off doing simple steps in a few simple routines. Which over time he changed his dances into more advanced steps. Even threw in a little bit of humor now and then mocking his own long legs by acting a little clumsy on some parts. The crowd was eating it up, they laughed and cheered him on. Some even shouted requests if he knew certain steps and certain routines. Kotetsu did his best to oblige the audience. Both Maverick and Burnaby looked a little unimpressed at the display. To them it was just some old to hoofer that acted like he knew how to dance.

 

Maverick studied the crowds that were cheering for the older man on stage. He had to admit that while the man was not all that refined he did seem to have a certain presence to him. It was very possible that the man was once a professional showman. However Maverick couldn't get over just how unsophisticated the man on stage seemed to be.

 

"Hmph, it would seem that these people really need a lesson on what real entertainers look like." Maverick said with a small smile. He looked over at Barnaby and motioned his hand towards the stage. "This audience doesn't look too bright, they're a little too impressed by amateurs. Barnaby my boy, want to go and show them how a professional does it? The little exercise might do you some good in getting your mind off of your glum mood."

 

Barnaby gave a slight frown, he wasn't too keen on the idea. After all, he had been performing all the way back to the states across the ocean on an airship from Europe. But looking at Maverick's expectant gaze made it a little hard to say no. Owing the man as much as he did already made it a little hard to say no to him in general.

 

"I suppose if you really want me to. It shouldn't take all that much effort..." Barnaby stood up from his chair and start to make his way towards the other end of the bar. As he got closer to where the stage area was he called out to the dancer. "I'm afraid amateur hour is over, could you leave the stage please?"

 

Kotetsu suddenly stumbled in mid-step and almost toppled over. Luckily he was able to catch himself and regain balance just in time. Maybe having a few drinks before dancing wasn't the best idea. Kotetsu was about to continue, when he noticed the music had stopped.

 

"Hey, what gives?" he then looked out to the crowd; he noticed that most of the people in the bar were looking at a young blond man. "Isn't that...?" Kotetsu then recognized him, he saw that guy back at the school.

 

"I thought he looked familiar." Ben said as he cleaned a glass. He put the glass away and looked at Barnaby briefly studying him. "That's Barnaby Brooks Jr., his name's been coming up more often in the entertainment industry lately. So far I've heard that he's made some headlines over in Europe."

 

Antonio watched the scene with a little unease. He had heard of the Brooks kid, but he was making a very serious mistake. Picking a fight with Kotetsu on a normal day was bad enough, but with a few drinks and him it would've made a situation a whole lot worse. Whatever logic the man usually had would be completely out the window. Antonio was about to call him back over hoping to avoid the fight. But he could see Kotetsu had a certain look in his eyes that signaled that it would've been pointless. The veteran dancer felt challenged, there was no way that he could be reasoned with now.

 

"Who are you calling an amateur, brat?" Kotetsu growled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You have something you wanna say to me?"

 

"And there he goes..." Antonio gave a sigh and shook his head at the scene. He looked over at Ben. "This isn't gonna end well, is it?"

 

Ben looked at Antonio then looked at Kotetsu and Barnaby. He could easily see that both men were very stubborn. Barnaby at first glance seemed like the logical type, the type that could win an argument pretty easily with words alone. Kotetsu on the other hand had a few drinks in him so logic probably wouldn't have much affect on him. Ben shook his head at both of the men and just how ridiculous they were both acting.

 

"Nope, probably not. Chances are either Kotetsu's just going to outright punch him or he's going to make a fool of himself."

 

"I'm kind of hoping for the punching option." Antonio admitted.

 

"Huh?" Ben looked at bigger man a little surprised. "Why would you want that?"

 

Antonio smiled and gave a small shrug. "That kid's just got one of those faces that you want to punch."

 

"I swear, sometimes you're no better than Kotetsu." Ben sighed as he rolled his eyes. They both continued to watch as the scene unfolded in front of them.

 

By now Barnaby was standing right in front of the stage. He took a moment to study Kotetsu, taking in the details of the show business veteran. From his dated fashion sense to the silly looking beard on his chin. When Barnaby was satisfied with his assessment he spoke up again, "Shuffle off old man, I want to use the stage for a bit."

 

"Old man?" Kotetsu frowned and blushed slightly, this rude kid had a lot of nerve. He took a moment to regain his composure before he replied. "Scram brat, I'm not going anywhere at your beck and call."

 

This time Barnaby looked just as annoyed. Everything about this man was just starting to annoy him. Even Kotetsu's voice was beginning to grate on his ears. "Do you know who I am?"

 

Kotetsu cleaned out one of his ears with a pinky finger and flicked away any waxy residue. "No, why? Are you supposed to be someone important or something?"

 

The people in the bar watched to two, some of them whispering amongst themselves. Some of them were murmuring the question of who Barnaby Brooks Jr. was, while others knew of him. There were also whispers amongst the patrons of hopes that the two would get into a fight. Some were even starting to take bets on which of them could win a fistfight. Maverick watched the people in the crowd and looked back to Barnaby and Kotetsu. The way that they were both grabbing attention was interesting. Watching the two of them bicker, Maverick had to admit that they had some sort of chemistry.

 

Barnaby looked disgusted by the crude behavior the older man was showing. It was obvious that Kotetsu was going out of his way just to be rude to him. That was the final straw for Barnaby. This now wasn't about just entertaining his uncle's whims anymore. Barnaby wanted to personally squash that man's ego under his boot. Rude men like Kotetsu needed to be knocked down a peg or two.

 

"What do you say that we make a compromise then? You seem like the wagering type, old man. So say we have a little contest? You against me and we get to see just who is the better entertainer?"

 

"You got yourself a deal there, kid. Well then, what are you waiting for? Step on up here and let's see what you got, brat." Kotetsu said as he stepped off to the side to make room on the stage for Barnaby.

 

Barnaby climbed up the stairs of the stage and made his way to the center of it. "I'll go first then..."

 

Kotetsu called out to Ben, asking if he would be kind enough to help them by changing the music. Ben obliged and walked over from the bar to the piano. Instead of letting itself play he turned off that function and took a seat on the piano bench. He then heard Barnaby ask for certain song. Ben then cracked his knuckles and started to play the tune for the young man.

 

It was a song that Barnaby knew by heart, it was one that he had been dancing to during his trip. He didn't need as much for warm-up as Kotetsu did before. He was able to quickly snap right into the routine.

 

If Kotetsu had any doubts that the kid could dance, they were quickly snuffed out as soon as Barnaby started. The slight stupor that the alcohol had him in was starting to disappear when Kotetsu realized that this kid was in fact the real deal. He could easily see by Barnaby's movements that the kid had been taught well. More than likely he was trained professionally much like Tomoe had been. Barnaby was able to move quick and precise, his moves seem to consist of things more along the lines of jigs, kicks, jumps, and quick foot work. Barnaby was good, really good in fact. Kotetsu could feel his own stomach tie into knots. His face was starting to heat up as he could feel himself starting the blush with embarrassment. He realized that he had pretty much dug his own grave on this one.

 

Soon enough Barnaby's routine was over and the crowd cheered wildly for the younger man. Kotetsu could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his palms were sweaty. He didn't want to think it but he was actually feeling stage fright for the first time in years. That was not going to be a easy act to follow. Part of Kotetsu wanted to retreat but his own pride wouldn't let him. After all, what would Tomoe think if he did that? Kotetsu brushed his thumb against his wedding ring as he thought about what she would say. He then looked out at Ben and gave a smile as he called out the name of song that he knew pretty well.

 

Barnaby moved to the side of the stage so he could watch the other dancer perform. He could tell that Kotetsu was shaken by that point, this brought a bit of satisfaction. He hoped that knocking the drunk off his high horse would teach him a lesson. However when the music started to play Kotetsu's confidence seemed to suddenly come back. The showbiz veteran went into an old routine. He showed more skill than he had when he was just showing off for the bar's patrons.

 

Kotetsu's style was different than Barnaby's, that much was certain. His style was more classic tap with a bit of a wild flare. He danced his way around the stage with plenty of classic moves and quite a few that Kotetsu invented himself. Unlike Barnaby, he had to use his arms to help him keep balance as he was dancing. There was a little bit of clumsiness in his movements probably from both drink and trying to remember how the routine was supposed to go. Despite all that though, Kotetsu somehow still managed to make it look decent. He had an experienced showman's presence that Barnaby wasn't expecting it all. It was pretty clear to him that this wasn't just some drunkard that randomly climbed up on the stage. Kotetsu was a professional, though he was obviously pretty rusty.

 

When Kotetsu finally finished his routine he did earn himself some applause. Yet it was nowhere near the amount that Barnaby had gotten. He stood there quietly for a moment. He could feel the sensation of stage fright gnawing at him again. He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears and feel his face warm up as his cheeks flushed a rosey hue from embarrassment. Kotetsu looked over at Antonio and Ben and could see that they were looking at him sympathetically. The showbiz veteran reached up and grabbed hold of the bill of this hat, pulling it down to hide his face. There wasn't any contest, he lost big as simple as that.

 

Kotetsu mumbled a congratulations to Barnaby and started make his way off the stage. He'd be lying if he said that the blow to his pride didn't hurt but he only had himself to blame for that. He couldn't get too far though because before he knew it he heard Barnaby call out to him again.

 

"How about one more round?" Barnaby said suddenly. He couldn't quite explain it but he felt a little challenge with this man.

 

"Hmph!" Kotetsu looked at Barnaby and frowned. "Haven't you had enough yet?"

 

"One more round, but this time we'll play a little differently." Barnaby said as he adjusted his glasses. "I'll lead a routine and you follow. Think you can keep up with me, old man?"

 

Kotetsu grumbled a curse and tried to walk away from the stage area. He found himself met with the expectant gazes of the bar patrons. Many of them were trying to coax or heckle him for another performance.

 

"Then let's do a soft shoe routine, I'm sure an old man like you is familiar with that, right?" Barnaby then called out to the piano player to play one more song.

 

Kotetsu looked back and cast in an annoyed look at Barnaby from over his shoulder. "Quit calling me that, you jackass!" He started making his way back to the stage, much to the amusement of the patrons of the bar.

 

Once again Ben started to play the piano. This time it was softer sound, more fitting for soft shoe routine. Barnaby started to dance again and Kotetsu followed by mimicking him as best as he could. Maverick watched the dancers from his seat on the other end of the bar. He carefully studied how they moved and worked together in the routine. He was actually surprised at how Kotetsu was able to keep up with Barnaby for the most part. Sometimes their stylistic differences made it a little difficult and there were even times where Barnaby purposely tried to surprise the older dancer. However Kotetsu would then turn around and surprise everyone by improvising when he had to. Their audience was clearly enjoying the show, they cheered for them both and sometimes laughed when Kotetsu did funnier improv.

 

They were making a better impact on the audience than Barnaby could when he was working solo. When Maverick saw this the wheels in his head slowly began to turn as a thought occurred to him. It wasn't that Barnaby didn't have the talent, he was very skilled and well taught. However it was obvious he was still a rookie. He was still just a little blip on the radar of the show business industry. Barnaby was handsome but then again, there were many handsome and talented performers out there that would never make the big time. Barnaby needed a way to build up his stage presence until he had enough experience of his own and built a name for himself in the industry.

 

Maverick looked over Barnaby's dancing partner, that man could be very useful. The older dancer had skill and experience but Barnaby was still able to shine when compared to him. It wasn't too long before Maverick started mentally going over ideas for an interesting little addition for Barnaby's act.

 

Finally the dance number ended, both men were starting to look tired at that point. The crowd roared with applause, some even calling for an encore or another number. But both men looked at each other and then started to go their separate ways. The both of them left the stage this time, each hoping never to see the other dancer again.

 

"Ah, that was troublesome!" Kotetsu said as he walked back over to his barstool and took a seat next to Antonio. He watched as Ben returned to his post behind the bar counter.

 

"You have no one to blame but yourself for that one Kotetsu." Ben said as he poured himself something to drink. "You went and let your temper run away with you again."

 

"You've always been a hothead, that's usually led you to do some really stupid shit." Antonio added before taking another sip from his own drink. "Hopefully you sobered up a bit, I don't think your mom and Kaede would appreciate you coming home drunk."

 

"Aw, shut it bachelor beef!" Kotetsu shot back. "And I'm not drunk, I was tipsy but I'm a lot better now. I never go home a mess anyway, I wouldn't want my kid to see me like that."

 

The mood had considerably soured, Kotetsu was no longer in the mood to talk or drink. Maybe a walk in the night air would do him a little good, make sure that his mind was clear before he came home. Kotetsu rubbed his thumb against his wedding ring again, his pride still hurt from the beating it took.

 

"Well, I hate to say it but I'm officially done for the night." Kotetsu then looked at Antonio and gave him a smile. "Since you're in town you gotta come by my place. You're free to stay over if you haven't set up at a hotel yet. I'm sure Kaede would love to see her 'Uncle Tonio'."

 

Antonio smiled and gave a small laugh, it still took some getting used to being called 'uncle'. Both Tomoe and Kotetsu insisted after they made him Kaede's godfather. "I already have a room at the hotel, but thanks anyway for the offer. I'll take you up on it another time though. I promise I'll stop by your place sometime tomorrow, I'd love to see Kaede again. She looks more like her mom every day, huh?"

 

"Ain't that the truth?" Kotetsu said as he opened his wallet and dug out the money that he owed for the drinks. After he placed the money on the counter and gave Ben a small salute. "I'll see you guys later, thanks for the company."

 

"Take care of yourself, Kotetsu." Ben said with a small smile."Don't let this get you down, alright? It's not like you're in the business anymore, so it's easy to get rusty."

 

Kotetsu knew Ben was just trying to be reassuring but the words still stung a little. He gave a small wave goodbye to his friends and turned around to leave. Suddenly, to Kotetsu's surprise he almost bumped into Maverick. The old man must been standing behind him for who knew how long. "Sorry about that, I didn't see you." Kotetsu said as he tipped his hat to the old gentleman in apology.

 

"Now, now, no need to worry, no harm was done." Maverick tried to reassure him with a smile. "Ah, sir, if you'd be so kind, would you mind if I had a word with you really quick before you leave?"

 

"Ah, I'm sorry I really don't have a whole lot of time, I got head back home" Kotetsu explained apologetically. While that part was true, there was also something about the man that rubbed him the wrong way.

 

"Oh come now, it'll only be a few minutes of your time." Maverick insisted, he moved to right in Kotetsu's path as the bigger man tried to leave. "I promise you that I can make it worth your while, all I ask is that you quickly hear me out."

 

Kotetsu looked at the old man with a little uncertainty, he then looked at his watch. Perhaps he could spare the guy a few minutes, what could it hurt? "Fine, but it does have to be quick I'm in a hurry here."

 

Ben watched as Maverick led Kotetsu to the table where he and Barnaby sat. He looked a little suspicious of the action. Antonio noticed this and followed Ben's gaze seeing Kotetsu heading for the table where that blond sat. Both Ben and Antonio looked a little confused by the sudden turn of events and both cast each other disbelieving looks.

 

"I hope Kotetsu didn't go and land himself into some kind of trouble this time." Ben said as he watched them.

 

"Ha! When doesn't he?" Antonio scoffed as he kept an eye on them, waiting for any signs of trouble.

 

Kotetsu's stopped in his tracks just before Maverick could pull a chair out for him. His eyes were glued right on Barnaby, he looked at Maverick wondering just what these two were playing at. "Okay, hold up a minute. What is this all about?"

 

Maverick motioned to the chair that he pulled out for their guest. "Please take a seat with us Mr...?"

 

"It's Kaburagi, and no thanks. I'm not staying for that long, remember?" Kotetsu noticed that Barnaby suddenly gave him an annoyed look, as if he somehow insulted him.

 

"Kaburagi, you say? " Maverick blinked when he heard that name, it sounded familiar for some reason. He couldn't put his finger on it right then but he knew he heard it before. "Anyway, please forgive us for rudeness, Mr. Kaburagi. My name is Albert Maverick and this here is my young nephew and client, Barnaby Brooks Jr.."

 

Kotetsu stood there for a long moment, as if he were waiting for them to continue. When it seemed like they weren't, he finally responded, "And...?"

 

"And...?" Maverick looked a little disappointed. "I see, so you haven't heard of Barnaby have you? I guess that would explain why you were so careless to challenge him."

 

Kotetsu blinked and then frowned. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean, pal?"

 

"Please don't talk to my uncle so disrespectfully." Barnaby interrupted defensively. This Kaburagi fellow was too crude for his tastes. He didn't understand why his uncle wanted to talk to such a rude man in the first place.

 

"Sorry..." Kotetsu said as he scratched the back of his head realizing that maybe he was being a little rude. "I didn't mean to insult you or anything, but it seems like you people expect me to know who you are. I've never heard of a 'Barnaby Brooks Jr.', so I really don't know what you two want from me."

 

"Then allow me to quickly explain, Barnaby here is a rising star in the entertainment industry." Maverick began, there was a little pride in his voice as he talked about his adopted nephew. "He's pretty well-rounded, he's a singer, a dancer, and can act."

 

Kotetsu looked at Barnaby then looked at Maverick, he then motioned his hand as a signal to tell them to hurry up. "And...?"

 

"Well, I guess that just goes to show you how up to date you are in the current news." Maverick said in a patronizing tone. "But I suppose that's beside the point. You seem like an experienced showman Mr. Kaburagi. I wanted to extend to you an offer, how would you like to join Barnaby as his part-" Maverick was cut off right before he could finish his sentence.

 

"Hold it! Hold it right there! I'm sorry but I can't help you two." Kotetsu interrupted suddenly. He pointed a finger accusingly at them, looking rather annoyed that they would even try to ask him such a thing. "I'm retired, I don't do show business anymore, and that's that." Before Maverick could object Kotetsu took his leave out of the bar.

 

Barnaby sat at the table looking rather surprised, he wasn't expecting Maverick to ask that either. "Uncle Maverick, normally I'd trust your judgment, but what were you thinking? Why would I want to work with that drunkard?"

 

Maverick looked rather disappointed, Mr. Kaburagi seemed like a very troublesome man. "Now Barnaby, you know that there is a method to my madness. There's actually a good reason why asked him, but it would seem that Mr. Kaburagi needs a little convincing."

 

Barnaby couldn't understand Maverick's interest in Mr. Kaburagi. In all honesty he really didn't want to know either, he would have preferred not to see that man again. Barnaby then got up from his chair. "Uncle Maverick, I'm going to head back to the hotel. This evening's events has really done nothing but give me a headache."

 

"I'm sorry to hear that, Barnaby. And here I was hoping that you wouldn't mind spending some time with your uncle." Maverick sighed with disappointement. He knew that would bite it Barnaby's conscience a little.

 

Barnaby looked a little surprised, he didn't want his uncle to think that he was being ungrateful. "No, I didn't mean it like that. It's nice spending time with you uncle, it's just that..."

 

Maverick spoke up again before Barnaby could finish what he was trying to say. "No, no, I perfectly understand. A young man like you needs more excitement. You should go out then while the night is still young and enjoy yourself."

 

Barnaby looked dejected, he couldn't even get a word in with the man to explain himself. He just wanted a little peace and quiet and he needed some rest. Barnaby gave a defeated sigh, simply agreed with Maverick, and took his leave from the bar. He was just going to go back to his hotel room, he had better things to do than try to enjoy the Sternbild's nightlife.

 

With Barnaby gone this left Maverick on his own to do is he wished without protest. He remembered seeing Mr. Kaburagi seated with the bartender and a large man. The three of them seemed familiar with each other, maybe Maverick could use that to his advantage. A little flattery and some smooth talking could probably get him what he needed to know about Mr. Kaburagi and how to get him to be more willing to take his offer.

 

-End of Chapter-


	5. Chapter 5

It was a fairly quiet night at the Kaburagi house, dinner was already made and served. Anju sat at the table eating her dinner peacefully. She glanced up and noticed that the child that sat across the table from her seemed a little restless. She could see the girl would fidget and her eyes would sneak glances at the clock that hung up on the wall kitchen.

 

"Kaede, settle down and eat, your supper is going to get cold." Anju said with a small smile. She knew exactly why the girl was so anxious, her father was late coming home again. Which meant that he was either teaching class late or more than likely having a drink. "Your father will be home soon, have some patience dear."

 

"Dad is always late though..." Kaede said with a small pout. She pushed her food around with her fork in a bored manner.

 

She had been growing up into fine little lady. She was small, but athletic, her skin was more fair and her hair was a darker brown like her mother's. One look at her and one could tell that she was a spirited and willful child. Kaede was dressed in a cute blue and black dress with stockings when up to her knees that were striped and white and pink. Her hair was done up in a way that her dad had always found cute since she was really little. It was tied to a ponytail on the side of her head while her long bangs were braided and clipped out of the way of her face.

 

Everything about Kaede seemed to embody the word 'cute', much to her dismay. She would envy the pretty fashions that the women would wear in the magazines that she would read. Kaede was the type a child that couldn't wait to be an adult, her fantasies were fueled by the glamour and stories she'd see. She would often turn down or avoid her father's coddling and would try to behave the way that she thought adults were supposed to be like.

 

Anju had to admit there were times that Kaede was a bit of a handful. She was smart like her mother but also had the determination of her father. Anju smiled a little as she thought about how sweet it was that Kaede was worried about her father. However, she started to worry about how late it was too, she looked up at the clock to check the time.

 

Suddenly both of their attentions were caught by the sound of the opening and closing of the front door and the footfalls of a man approaching the kitchen. Kotetsu cautiously open the kitchen door and peered inside. He gave a nervous smile when he saw the unimpressed looks of his mother and daughter.

 

"Ah, I know what you're both thinking but let me explain-" but before Kotetsu could say anymore he was cut off by his mother.

 

"Take your hat off and cleanup for supper Kotetsu or you will be making your own dinner tonight." Anju warned with a no mercy.

 

Kotetsu took his hat often had it over his heart and gave an apologetic bow to them both. He went back into the hallway to hang up his hat and coat and returned to the kitchen to wash and dry his hands for supper. After Kotetsu took his seat at the dinner table he was met with a small glare from his daughter.

 

"Why were you late this time?" Kaede asked with a stubborn pout. It annoyed her that her father tended to stay out late a bit too often. Sometimes she would worry about him, even if she wouldn't admit it. There had been strange reports recently about people getting killed at night by a man with a flaming crossbow. It was scary to think that her dad might be out late on one of those nights.

 

"Papa is very sorry sweetheart, he needed a little time to unwind after work." Kotetsu began to explain. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly when he saw that Kaede wasn't swayed by his answer. "I got to see uncle Tonio, your Papa lost track of time because we were catching up."

 

Kaede seemed to light up a little at this news. "Uncle Tonio's in town? Is he going to come by and visit?"

 

"Yep, we were talking about it before I realized what time it was." Kotetsu said with a smile, happy to see that Kaede was a little less angry.

 

Kaede seemed to catch on to her dad though, she donned a stubborn attitude before she replied, "Well that's a little okay but you are still really late so you're still in trouble."

 

Kotetsu sulked as he prodded his food with his fork. The two of them were a little more alike than Kaede was willing to admit. "Aww, come on Kaede, why are you so tough on your Papa?"

 

"Hmph!" Kaede looked away from her father, not sparing him any sympathy.

 

It was then that Anju bluntly chimed in, "It's because her father is a very foolish man."

 

"...Ouch, you are so ruthless Mom." Kotetsu said as he dished out some food for himself and started to eat. "I hope you're not giving my daughter bad opinions of me."

 

"Don't be ridiculous, Kotetsu. I tell Kaede that she should respect her father, after all you are all that she has left." Anju explained simply. There was a certain tone to her voice that hinted that there was more that she wanted to say. However she wasn't going to say it at the dinner table in front of Kaede. She gave Kotetsu a look that seemed to signal that there was more that they were going to have to talk about later. "But you still have a tendency to do very foolish things."

 

Kotetsu ate in silence for a while and let Kaede and his mother chat. He'd respond with a grunt or the occasional word but he wasn't really there in the conversation. Instead his thoughts drifted back to earlier that evening back at TopMag bar. He still felt a bit embarrassed for losing. To a rookie of all things, if that Maverick guy was to be believed. It was going to be a good while before he did any dancing at that bar again.

 

Still, Kotetsu did have to give that Barnaby guy some credit. That kid really did have some skill. The more Kotetsu thought about it though, he was left with a more troubling thought. It wasn't really so much that he lost the contest to a skilled rookie, it was also the first time that Kotetsu realized just how rusty he was. Sure, he looked confident on the outside while on stage but inside he was struggling with that strange bout of stage fright and trying to remember the routine.

 

Kotetsu slowly chewed his food and finally swallowed. He wasn't too sure if he really had much of an appetite anymore. Suddenly his attention was caught when he noticed that somebody was talking to him.

 

"Huh? What?" Kotetsu said with a blink as he looked up at his mother and Kaede.

 

"I was asking how work was for you today." Anju repeated, she had a look of concern. "Are you feeling all right Kotetsu? You look a little troubled..."

 

"Ah, that's nothing really to worry about. You know me, I'm just thinking too much about something that doesn't really matter." Kotetsu laughed as he offered his mother a forced smile. He continued to eat and acted as though everything was all right for the rest of dinner. He tried to push the events of that evening to the back of his mind.

 

After all, it wasn't like it really mattered that much anyway. He wasn't going to see that kid again or that wort faced old man. Kotetsu had a kid to raise and a job to work, it wasn't going to do him any good if he dwelled on something that pointless. At least that was the thought that Kotetsu repeated to himself for the rest of the meal.

 

After dinner it was time for Kaede to get ready for bed. She went upstairs to get ready and clean up while Kotetsu helped his mother collect her things so that she could go home. Even if there was room at the Kaburagi house and her garden was there, Anju wasn't too keen on the idea of living in that place. She was comfortable with living in the family's shop where she and Muramasa had their own apartments above the store.

 

Kotetsu stood with his mother in the hallway as she collected her coat and her bag. He would usually see her off on the nights when she'd come to watch Kaede and give her a proper thank you.

 

"Thank you again for watching over Kaede for me, mom." Kotetsu said sincerely as he helped her put on her coat. "I don't know what we would do without you."

 

Anju buttoned her coat up and gave a look to her son. "I'm more than happy to spend time with my granddaughter, Kotetsu."

 

Kotetsu could feel in his bones that there was going to be more. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say next, and it was something that he really didn't need to hear. Kotetsu tried to speak up to change the subject but Anju was quicker and held up a finger signaling him to stay quiet.

 

"A grandmother can only do so much Kotetsu, that girl needs a mother." Anju said with a tone of finality.

 

It was something that she would often argue with Kotetsu about. Not for the sake of nagging but because she was genuinely concerned for the both of them. Things were never the same since Tomoe's passing. Both Kotetsu and Kaede lost something important that day. Even the Kaburagi house seemed more like a shell of a home that matched Kotetsu and Kaede's broken family.

 

"Mom, please don't bring this up again." Kotetsu groaned with a tired sigh, he frowned and looked away from her. "Kaede and me are doing just fine by ourselves."

 

"Kotetsu..." Anju suddenly said in a firm, warning tone. "Look a person in the eye when they are talking to you. You can't trust a man that can't make eye contact."

 

Kotetsu nervously nibbled on his bottom lip. He couldn't help but find the irony a little funny since he said the same thing to Ivan earlier that day. Kotetsu met his mother's stern gaze and replied, "I've said it a hundred times, I'm not interested in getting remarried. We've talked about this enough already, mom."

 

Anju looked unconvinced. She knew the subject bothered her son but she did it purely out of love. It didn't matter how much of a fool Kotetsu was, he was still her son and she wanted what was best for him and her granddaughter.

 

Anju spoke again but this time her tone was less harsh than it normally was, "Kaede needs a mother Kotetsu and it doesn't matter how much you try to hide it, you are a very lonely man. You can't hold onto your wife's ghost forever. You're allowed to find happiness again. I'm sure that Tomoe would want it that way too."

 

Kotetsu's eyes then looked down to the floor. He was quiet for a while not really knowing what he could say to that. "Mom..."

 

Anju looked a little hopeful for a moment, maybe her words were finally starting to sink into that thick skull of his.

 

"You should probably start heading home, Muramasa is gonna get worried about you." Kotetsu finally said. He wasn't going to continue the argument with her anymore that night.

 

Anju rolled her eyes and shook her head at her son. She turned and started to walk out the door. "Good night Kotetsu, you and Kaede sleep well." With that said she left the Kaburagi house and made her way down the path that led to the sidewalk.

 

Kotetsu gave a deep sigh of relief, glad that his mother didn't press the subject any further that night. Leave it to her to bring up such things when he already had enough to worry about. For the time being he tried to push the thoughts of marriage to the back of his mind. Kotetsu turned around to go up stairs to get ready for bed but he suddenly stopped when he spotted Kaede sitting at the top of the stairs. He hoped that she didn't overhear their conversation but one look in that girl's eyes was all the confirmation that he needed.

 

Kotetsu then offered Kaede a tired smile, it was the best that he could do. "Hey sweetheart, want me to brush your hair before you go to bed?"

 

It wasn't long before father and daughter were both in Kaede's room. They were both seated on Kaede's bed while Kotetsu was brushing her hair so it could be braided. It helped Kaede's hair from getting too messy when she slept at night and made it more manageable in the morning. It was something that Tomoe would do for her when she was little. After she passed away Kotetsu took up that job in her place.

 

"Are you okay sweetheart? You've been really quiet." Kotetsu said as he set the brush down on the nightstand and started braiding her hair. It was something that he had gotten pretty good at over the years.

 

Kaede didn't answer him right away, she was lost in her own thoughts. She had been mentally going over what she had heard her dad and grandma talk about. Finally Kaede seemed to find her voice and asked, "Dad, are you lonely?"

 

"Hmm? Of course I'm not." Kotetsu said with a smile. He then reached over to the nightstand and picked up a couple of hair ties and started to tie the ends of Kaede's braids. "I have you after all, so why should I be lonely?"

 

Kaede didn't feel all that reassured. "But what grandma was saying-"

 

"Kaede, sometimes your grandma worries a little too much. I'm fine, really." Kotetsu interupted. When he finally finished braiding her hair Kaede turned around to face at him. He reached up and gently stroked her head. "Your Papa is strong Kaede, you don't have to worry. Just do your best to be a good girl, okay?"

 

"Dad, I'm not a child anymore." Kaede said stubbornly as she pouted.

 

"Oh? Does that mean that you're too old for a good night kiss?" Kotetsu asked as a sly grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

"Yes!" Kaede crossed her arms and looked at him defiantly.

 

"Well that's just too bad because you're getting one anyway." Kotetsu said cheekily as he leaned in and planted a kiss on Kaede's forehead. "Good night, Kaede." He then got up from his seat on her bedside and made his way to the door of her bedroom.

 

Kaede crawled under the covers and snuggled into them so she was nice and comfy. She watched her father's retreating back for a moment and just as he was about to step out of her room she called to him, "...Papa?"

 

Kotetsu's attention was instantly caught and he stopped in his tracks. It was rare that Kaede would call him 'Papa'. Still standing in the doorway he looked back at her with concern. "What's wrong, Kaede?"

 

Kaede look like she wanted to tell him something but for some reason the words just wouldn't come out. After a moment she finally gave up. "... It's nothing, forget it. Good night." She then rolled over leaving her back to face the doorway.

 

Kotetsu waited a few seconds and then finally closed the door. He made his way down the hallway to his own bedroom. Upon entering he was greeted by the smile of his wife in a photograph that he had on the nightstand next to his bed. He smiled a little as he felt a little comfort.

 

"Hello darling, how's the world's most beautiful woman today?" He murmured as he walked over to his dresser to get his nightclothes.

 

It didn't take him too long to get dressed for bed, soon he was lying on his quilt staring up at ceiling. His right hand turned the wedding band on his left ring finger. There was a ritual that he would do on the nights where he felt particularly troubled. He would go over the troubles of that day or just things that had been bothering him recently and would talk as if his wife was there to listen. Some might have thought it was an odd ritual while others might've thought it was a form of prayer. Kotetsu wasn't exactly a religious man, he never really thought much about heaven or hell. However, it helped put his mind at ease thinking that Tomoe might still there somewhere, watching over Kaede and him.

 

"I dropped half of my class today." Kotetsu began, it was easiest place to start. "I'm sure that Lloyds is going to give me a real earful when he finds out. I'm sure that a bunch of parents called in with complaints. I just hope that I don't end up getting axed this time."

 

Kotetsu went on to talk about how the students in his class didn't really appreciate what they had. How times were so different from when they were both younger and starting out. He told Tomoe about Ivan and Pao-Lin coming to visit him and laughed a little as he thought back on some of the stories he told them. Kotetsu went on to recounted how he bumped into Antonio and at first he avoided talking about Barnaby. Kotetsu's habit of keeping secrets and hiding his problems was as bad as ever. When he looked at Tomoe's photograph he felt that she would know he was hiding something. Kotetsu gave a long sigh and finally talked about Barnaby. He talked about how that punk dared call him an amateur. How he probably drank too much and was put in his place by a rookie talent. After ranting and sulking for a bit, Kotetsu felt a little better. Though there was still a little bitterness.

 

"I don't know if you saw what happened at the TopMag bar or not, if you did I wonder what you would have said." Kotetsu looked over at Tomoe's picture and gave a sad smile. "I never thought that I could be so out of shape. It was like I was the one that was the rookie out there." He then stared up at the ceiling in silence for a long moment. It wasn't too long before Kotetsu felt how tired he really was. He moved to get under the covers and tried to get comfortable. He gave Tomoe's picture one last look before he drifted off into sleep. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tomoe. Good night."

 

It wasn't until it was later in the morning that Kotetsu was suddenly woken up by Kaede shaking him roughly. At first he had no idea what was going on and thought it might have been an earthquake. When he finally opened his eyes he saw Kaede looking all excited. Still half asleep, Kotetsu couldn't quite make out what she was saying, somebody was here? He struggled to keep his eyes open and pay attention to what Kaede was trying to tell him.

 

"Dad! You have to wake up!" Kaede said with a big bright smile. She stopped shaking him when she saw that her dad was finally awake. "Come on! Get up and get dressed!"

 

Kotetsu rubbed his eyes as he woke up more. He remembered that Antonio was supposed to come over that day. That was probably who Kaede was talking about; though she seemed little too excited, even if it was a visit from uncle Tonio. Kotetsu was startled when felt himself being yanked as Kaede took him by the hand and tugged. She was trying to help him get out of bed faster. When she got her dad to sit on the edge of his bed she quickly turned her attention to fetching him some clothes and ran to his closet. Kotetsu watched as she grabbed one of his white shirts, his green vest, and a beige pair of pants.

 

"Here! Wear this dad!" Kaede said with a smile as she tossed them onto his bed.

 

"Kaede, I wear that for more special occasions." Kotetsu said with a yawn. "And don't toss your Papa's clothes around like that."

 

"Well this is a special occasion!" Kaede said as she pointed at her half sleeping father, in a way that was uncannily like her mother. "Come on! Hurry up and come down stairs he's waiting in the parlor!" Kaede then hurried out of Kotetsu's room and went down stairs.

 

Kotetsu chuckled at Kaede's excitement. He took a few moments to stretch, yawn, and let himself wake up a little more. It was hard to keep his eyes open and he could feel his muscles ache in protest with each movement he made. Kotetsu was tempted to just go back to sleep, maybe for another half hour. Surely Antonio wouldn't have minded, though Kaede would probably have a conniption fit. So he decided against it and grabbed the outfit that she picked out for him. For a moment he debated whether he should just put it back and pick something else. Then again, maybe dressing up a little wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, they would probably go out together for lunch or dinner.

 

After getting dressed Kotetsu left his room and headed for the stairway. As he climbed down the steps, his legs felt a little like jelly, very sore jelly. Kotetsu made his way down carefully, so not to fall and break his neck. He could hear Kaede laughing; it sounded like she was in the parlor with somebody. Kotetsu couldn't help but smile little, it was nice having a bit of laughter in the house. He made his way downstairs, crossed the hall, and stepped into the parlor. "Hey there Antoni..." Kotetsu smile immediately left his face as that sentence died in his throat.

 

Sitting right there, on _his_ couch, in _his_ parlor, in _his_ house, was _that_ stuck up blond brat and his stuck up wart faced uncle. Kaede was sitting with them giving them cookies and milk, apparently she had been chatting with them for a while now. Kotetsu was completely dumbfounded by what he saw.

 

"Dad's here!" Kaede said with a smile. "Dad, this is Barnaby Brooks Jr.! He's a celebrity!" She then picked up one of her magazines and opened it to a page that had Barnaby modeling some clothes for fashion line. "See? I've seen him in the magazines and in a motion picture grandma took me to! He and his grandpa are here to talk to you!"

 

Kotetsu could feel one of his eyes give a twitch involuntarily and stress levels hitting dangerous heights. He stood there trying to piece together just what he was seeing and more importantly, why?

 

"Ahem! I'm his uncle, my dear..." Maverick gently corrected Kaede. "Anyway, I do apologize for the sudd-"

 

"Cut the talk, get the hell out of my house." Kotetsu cut him off in a sharp tone. He wasn't going to have any more of this nonsense.

 

Kaede looked shocked at how rude her father suddenly was. "Dad! Don't be so rude!"

 

"Kaede, you're grounded." Kotetsu added.

 

"What!? Why!?"

 

"You let a pair of _strangers_ in our house, Kaede!" Kotetsu said as he gestured to Barnaby and Maverick to emphasize his point. "I don't care if this Barnaby guy is in a magazine or whatever, that was foolish! Papa is very disappointed with you!"

 

Maverick and Barnaby sat on the couch in silence as the two started to bicker. They both continued to drink their milk and eat cookies. Finally after a while Barnaby cleared his throat loud enough to catch the attention of both Kaburagis.

 

"I am sorry about the inconvenience but we were hoping that you'd hear out my uncle's request. Hopefully you're in a better state of mind now." Barnaby explained.

 

Kaede then dropped the argument in favor of the new subject. "They told me that you were dancing with him Dad! Why didn't you tell me? I'm a big fan of Barnaby's! They said that they were trying to offer you a job but you told them 'no'! Why would you be that mean? Grandma wants you to get a new job anyway!"

 

Kotetsu sighed and rubbed one of his temples, he could feel a headache coming on. He spoke slowly, to make sure his answer was perfectly clear, "Because I'm not interested, I'm retired, I teach now."

 

"Oh? Are you so sure about that?" Maverick said with a slight smirk. His smirk grew more into a smile when he noticed that he had caught Kotetsu's attention. "My old friend and associate Mr. Lloyd's says that you're looking for a new job."

 

"A-associate...?" Kotetsu said as he gave a confused blink. He suddenly felt a little dizzy, there was a sick feel in his stomach as the word 'associate' played back in his mind.

 

"That's right, you see, I'm a partial owner of Apollon School of Dance." Maverick explained. There was a certain satisfaction in seeing the growing fear and Mr. Kaburagi. It seemed like man was starting to realize his place.

 

"That’s a load of horse feathers!" Kotetsu said with a frown, trying to call the man's bluff.

 

"Oh? You think so?" Mavericks smile then took on a somewhat eerie look, it left Kotetsu feeling very uneasy. The old man seemed to be enjoying this. "I did some looking into you're background, Mr. Kaburagi. After retiring you became a teacher at our school. However, you have a nasty habit of being picky with your students. I even heard that just yesterday you threw out half of the students of one of your classes. According to Lloyds, you've been doing this a little too often and it's ended up with having you on the chopping block."

 

Kotetsu nervously nibbled on his bottom lip. That answered two questions: one, Maverick was telling the truth, and two, he was about to lose his job.

 

"I...I see..." Kotetsu's tone suddenly became more tame. Everything threatening about the man seemed to disappear in an instant.

 

"As you can see, it's not very beneficial to you to be so hostile towards me and my nephew. In a sense we technically own you, or your way of life at least." Maverick added, driving home the point that Kotetsu had little choice in the matter. "So how about we all sit down, try this again, and start things off on a better foot?"

 

Kaede was a little surprised at how the old man was able to make her father's temper suddenly vanish. She wasn't completely sure about what the two had been talking about but either way, it worked. While she was glad at the prospect of them all getting to talk together, she could see her dad seemed upset but was trying to hide it. "Come on Dad, it'll be nice to have a talk."

 

Kotetsu sighed and walked over to a chair that was beside the couch and the coffee table. "Okay, let's talk then. What do you want, Mr. Maverick?"

 

Maverick gave a satisfied smile. Glad that he finally had Kotetsu right where he should be. "See? Things work much better when we are more cooperative. Now, this is concerning my offer to you last night."

 

"And I told you that I happen to be retired." Kotetsu reminded him while trying to watch his tone.

 

"Yes, but please listen to the offer properly, and then think it over." Maverick insisted, basically paying no heed to Kotetsu's reason. "My nephew is starting to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. As I'm sure that you're smart daughter can tell you."

 

"Yep!" Kaede gave a proud nod.

 

Maverick smiled at the girl and then continued. "However, I'm sure a seasoned showman like yourself was able to tell he's still new to the business."

 

"Yes, I did notice that." Kotetsu said as he made eye contact with Barnaby. "He's got talent and he was taught well, but as a performer he still pretty raw."

 

"I think I did pretty well when we were dancing, Mr. Kaburagi." Barnaby said with slightly wounded pride. He didn’t understand what made Uncle Maverick think that this was a good idea. The bumbling drunk had nothing on his skills, so why was he so intent on making a deal with this man?

 

"You're kidding, right?" Kotetsu said with a frown. He pointed right at Barnaby as he continued. "Kid, I haven't had to dance seriously for five years. If I was in top form I'd have wiped that smug look of yours right off your face."

 

Barnaby glared at the man. Mr. Kaburagi was even more annoying when he was sober. How could he talk so big when their difference in skill was so obvious? The man was nothing more than a washed up blowhard.

 

"Yeah right, Dad..." Kaede chimed in, catching Kotetsu off guard. "Barnaby's been taught dance at the top schools and has been to different places in America and Europe and..." She went on stating all sorts of facts that she knew about Barnaby and comparing them to her 'lame dad'. All the while not noticing how her favoring of the handsome blond seemed to be eating at her father.

 

Barnaby then leaned over to Maverick and spoke in a low whisper. "Is this really necessary Uncle Maverick?"

 

"Unfortunately, what he said is very true, Barnaby. You’re skilled, yes, but that alone won’t get you anywhere in this business. It can eat you alive if you’re not careful." Maverick explained, earning a concerned look from the younger man. "But that's why this man would be a good partner. He's much more experienced but he can't outshine you. You'd learn from him and still be able to rise above him."

 

Barnaby sighed and crossed his arms, he didn't like this idea one bit. He wanted to prove to his uncle that he was more than capable of handling things on his own. However uncle Maverick was stuck on the idea. Barnaby would entertain it a little while, if the man accepted it. But as soon as he had the chance, he was going to leave Mr. Kaburagi behind. Barnaby didn’t need dead weight holding him down.

 

Maverick then cleared his throat. "Well then, as I was saying..."

 

Kotetsu, by this point, was looking much more depressed than before. "Yeah...?"

 

"I was hoping that you could be a partner for my nephew. Show him the ropes of show business and help him provide a little something for his act." Maverick explained. His tone was more cheerful, yet still professional. "Of course, you'd be paid well for something that you'd actually be good at. It might suit you more than teaching. That is of course if you're not fired..." There was the slight sound of a threat that laced the last part of that sentence.

 

Kotetsu caught the hint, he was being blackmailed by this man. It was either join the act or lose the current job that he had. "...I guess you have yourself a deal then."

 

"Glad to hear it." Maverick smiled, enjoying the feel of victory. Even men like Mr. Kaburagi can be more cooperative with the right amount of arm twisting. "I'll have a contract drawn up for you tomorrow then."

 

"You're going to be dancing with Barnaby, Dad?" Kaede said with a smile.

 

Kotetsu took a little comfort in seeing his daughter was happy. Maybe this gig wouldn't be all that bad, Kaede might think more fondly of him. For a moment that helped ease the nasty feeling on his heart.

 

"I'll get to see Barnaby in person more!" she added, effectively smashing her father's heart and hopes into itty bitty pieces.

 

“Now how about the two of you shake on it?” Maverick suggested, keeping the somewhat cheery tone in his voice. “You both may have started off on the wrong foot but let’s put that behind us, shall we?”

 

Kotetsu then met Barnaby's gaze and frowned. "I guess that means there's no escaping it, huh? Looks like we're stuck with each other for a while."

 

"Hmph..." Barnaby averted his eyes from the older man, he obviously wasn't any happier about this 'arrangement' either.

 

Both men reached out to each other, clasped the other’s hand, and gave a reluctant handshake. Barnaby was a little taken off guard by the strength of Kotetsu grip. The older man's hand was squeezing tighter than it should have been. Barnaby tried to return the favor in kind by tightening his own grip. It only made Kotetsu squeeze his hand even harder.

 

While Kaede cheered at the two 'becoming friends', not noticing the silly little contest of strength that they were having with each other. Maverick could easily see the two had a long way to go if they were going to make this partnership work.

 

-End of Chapter-


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three weeks since Kotetsu signed his contract to work for Maverick. Since then Kotetsu and Barnaby had been having a miserable time trying to get along. The two of them didn't trust each other. They would both do petty things like bicker or nitpick the other's style whether it was their dancing or their fashion sense. It was like watching a pair of children that went out of their way to be rude to one another. Of course this led to Maverick scolding them both and reminding Kotetsu of his contract and the implications if he were to break it.

 

Kotetsu's contract was fairly simple, or so it seemed since Maverick wouldn't let him read the fine print. He was signed up to work for Maverick and Barnaby for an entire year. Maverick had it set up so that Kotetsu was to play the part of Barnaby's dancing partner and comedic relief. Kotetsu was also supposed to provide whatever support he could for Barnaby's career. Whether it was giving advice or carrying luggage. He wasn't too fond of his contract but it was only supposed to be for year, after that he could return to his job as a teacher.

 

Since Kotetsu had to perform again he had a lot of brushing up to do on his skills and it was demanded that he cut down on his drinking. While he didn't care much for the idea of cutting down on drink, Kotetsu didn't mind the idea of being able to brush up on his skills. Kotetsu would come to practice expecting to work with Barnaby on their routines. To his surprise, Maverick kept the younger dancer very busy and micromanaged how they were going to perform. They barely practiced together, Barnaby would be often doing a publicity shoot or would be in interviews. Anything to get exposure and help his name get out there to the public. So during the past three weeks Kotetsu made a lot of use of a practice room that he and Tomoe made out of the basement of their house.

 

That day was another of those days that Kotetsu didn't really need to be there. Maverick would insist on his attendence as a 'show of support', as he would call it. Kotetsu sat on a chair that was in one of the practice rooms of the Apollon building. He was watching another interview between Barnaby and a local gossip magazine. One that, without a doubt, Kaede would be reading and would go on and on about in the near future. Barnaby chatted and joked with the interviewer. He even demonstrated a few of his dance steps for them and the magazine's photographer took a couple of pictures. Needless to say, Kotetsu was very bored, he came expecting to practice not to just sit around.

 

"Huh, he kind of moves like a rabbit." Kotetsu thought aloud as he watched Barnaby hop around as he did a jig. After a little more of watching the interview, Kotetsu tried to find something else to focus his attention on.

 

"Mr. Kaburagi." Maverick called as he walked over to where he was sitting. "I just wanted to check in with you, have you been going over the material for your debut."

 

Kotetsu gave a small sigh, he wasn't exactly fond of his role. Kotetsu liked his privacy so he asked if he could use his stage name instead of his real name for the performances. That was how 'Mr. Tiger' came to be. According to Maverick's idea, Mr. Tiger was to be an uncouth country bumpkin. A stereotype that worked pretty well in some comedies. The more slow witted Mr. Tiger would appeal more to the children and lower classes. While making Barnaby look more sophisticated and intelligent by comparison. Needless to say, Kotetsu found the role a little embarrassing. Which was another reason why he didn't want his real name attached to it. That was perfectly fine with Maverick, he even allowed Kotetsu to wear domino mask to help keep his identity private.

 

"I've been going over it, can't say it's that much though." Kotetsu admitted. It wasn't long before he caught how he probably sounded ungrateful. "I'm not complaining or anything. I meant that there's just not a lot of material for me to work with."

 

"No offense taken, I understand what you mean. However you seem to be pretty good with improv so you are free to do it as you see fit. Just remember that Barnaby is the one that has to come out on top." Maverick explained. He then looked out at his adopted nephew and watched as the interview continued. He smiled a little, satisfied that Barnaby was starting to get more attention. Maverick looked back at Kotetsu and said, "All that I ask is that you do your best. I know that you and Barnaby have a little bad blood between you. However, I expect a show business veteran like yourself will be up to keep that off the stage."

 

"Don't worry I will." Kotetsu said as he crossed arms and gave a sigh. "But I can't say that for Barnaby, I can't make heads or tails of the guy."

 

"To be fair, Barnaby's probably thinking the same thing of you." Maverick said with a smile. "He's a very intelligent and he knows how to act professional but it's easy to forget that he is still young and still has a lot to learn."

 

Kotetsu was quiet for a moment, he had to admit that Maverick made a very good point. He remembered when he was around Barnaby's age, even when he was younger. He used to think that he knew everything there was to know about the world. In the end he would usually get knocked on his ass and found out just how little he actually knew. Admittedly, Kotetsu probably didn't make getting along all that easy either.

 

"I had a talk with the owner of TopMag bar. Ben Jackson was your agent when you and your wife were an act, right?" Maverick asked as he turned his attention back to Kotetsu.

 

Kotetsu shifted in his seat little, he was uncomfortable with the idea of people asking about his past. "Yeah, Ben has always been a good guy. He picked me when nobody else would give me a chance."

 

"Ah, he mentioned that. Your wife was a star student in her dance school, full of a lot of promise. You were self-taught raw talent from the vaudeville circuit. An unlikely combination if you ask me." Maverick said as he recounted the story he was told. "It's almost a little romantic, two people from two different worlds. One from a life of privilege and opportunities. The other a life where you had to take the bull by the horns and make your own opportunities." There was the slight sound of hinting in Maverick's voice. He was trying to get Kotetsu to look at his partnership in a new perspective. That it wasn't all that different from how he and Tomoe started out.

 

Surprisingly, Kotetsu seemed to catch on. "Well this is a little different." He said stubbornly. He was getting a little uncomfortable by how much Maverick knew about him and his wife. He would have to have a talk with Ben later about keeping his privacy.

 

"I can understand why you left show business." Maverick tried to sound a little sympathetic. "It's a tragedy losing somebody that dear to you. Barnaby has also suffered, he dealt a huge loss early in his life. I have seen firsthand what tragedies can do to people. "

 

Kotetsu remained silent he wasn't too sure what to make of that or why Maverick was telling in this. It was probably an attempt to lay down some common ground for the both of them. To help instill a sense of camaraderie.

 

"Barnaby has his own reasons for pursuing a career in show business." Maverick explained as he noticed that Barnaby's interview was starting to wrap up. "I'm sure you know that this is a cutthroat business. It can beunforgiving if you make too many mistakes."

 

"…Yeah, I know that." Kotetsu admited. His own memories swirled in his mind, Maverick did a good job in stirring them up.

 

"Then please do your best to keep an eye on him when you're on the job. That's all then I'm asking, when you're off the stage you can dislike each other all you want." Maverick advised as he walked away. "All you have to do is play your role. "

 

Finally the interview was over. The reporter thanked Barnaby for his time and with their photographer finally took their leave. Barnaby gave a relieved sigh, happy that it was all over. He was feeling a little tired from all the interviews and he still had practice he had to do. Not that he couldn't handle it of course, but he wouldn't have minded having a little time to himself. Barnaby noticed Kotetsu sitting on the other side of the practice room. He was a little worried that the older man was skipping out on practice. Not once had Barnaby seen the older man do much practice. Then again, his schedule had been packed. Still, he wanted to make sure that Kotetsu was ready for their debut that night.

 

"Are you going to sit there all day?" Barnaby asked as he walked over to his partner. "I haven't seen you practice at all. You do realize that we have show tonight, right?"

 

"I have a practice room at my house. You've been interviewing all week and Mr. Maverick told me that I shouldn't distract you." Kotetsu retorted with a frown. As a professional he was a little insulted. "I'm just doing my job. Sheesh! I didn't think I'd have to tell you that, Bunny."

 

"What was that?" Barnaby gave a confused blink when he caught that name. "Did you just call me a 'bunny'?"

 

"Well yeah..." Kotetsu answered as if it were the completely normal thing to do. "When you dance you hop and jump a lot, it kind of reminds me of a rabbit." Kotetsu smiled. Surprisingly, he wasn't being a smartass. He genuinely thought it was cute. "It'd be kind of catchy as a stage name. Just think about it, 'Tiger and Bunny'! It kind of has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?"

 

"For one, that's a little too childish. I doubt people of higher society would take us seriously with a name like that." Barnaby said with blunt honesty. "And my name is not 'Bunny', it's Barnaby."

 

Kotetsu gave Barnaby a stubborn look, he was trying to get along, a little least. It was disappointing to see such a young man be such a stick in the mud. Kotetsu raised his hands and placed them on either side of his head, acting as though they were giant rabbit ears. He then mimicked Barnaby in a mocking tone, "My name is not Bunny! It's Barnaby!"

 

"You are such a child!" Barnaby scoffed as he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous older man.

 

"Aww, come on! Relax a little, would ya?" Kotetsu said as he sat back in his chair. He was hoping that he would have gotten at a small chuckle out of the kid. Where was his sense of humor? "You're too young to be so serious, you're going to die an early death that way if you're not careful."

 

Barnaby didn't take too kindly to the lecture. He didn't like how Kotetsu acted as though he knew everything just because he was older. The man knew nothing about him so who was he to judge? "Save your concern for someone else. All you have to do is just make sure that you're ready by tonight." With that said Barnaby made his way out of the practice room and headed to his dressing room.

 

Kotetsu watched him walk away with genuine concern. He couldn't quite understand just what would have a kid that young so worked up. It wasn't too long before Kotetsu thought back on the conversation Maverick had with him. He bit his bottom lip as he thought that maybe he was being the problem. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try a little harder to get along. However, Barnaby's attitude didn't make it any easier either. Kotetsu gave a frustrated sigh, the entire ordeal was just one big mess that he never asked for.

 

He got up from his chair and walked over to a record player that was set up in the corner of the room. He wasn't being paid to be Barnaby's friend but the least he could do was be in good form for the show. Kotetsu looked through some records that were in the box next to the player and finally picked one out.

 

Meanwhile, Barnaby had just finished getting changed from his practice clothes. He had been keeping up with his practice and at the moment he could've used a little rest before the show. He couldn't help but think about that silly little nickname that the old man tried to give them.

 

"'Tiger and Bunny'...?" Barnaby thought aloud. "Old man must be going senile."

 

When he caught his reflection in the mirror on the vanity table he gave himself a good look. Just what about him looked like a rabbit? Barnaby started making faces in the mirror, he smiled, then frowned, and finally did his best impression of a rabbit. He soon stopped after feeling rather silly.

 

After getting that out of his system he started to put his belongings in his bag. He paused before he picked up the last two items that sat on the vanity. They were two pictures, one was of a happy looking family, two parents seated with their son, looking proud and loving. Barnaby picked up the photo giving a brief look before finally putting it away. It was one of his most valued treasures, the only existing picture he had of himself and his parents together. He would carry it with him when he went on his travels and sometimes we keep it nearby in his dressing room when he was doing performances. As silly as it sounded it was a source of strength for him, even if he wasn't the superstitious type. The second picture was a drawing, it was of a snake devouring its own tail run through by a sword. That picture was also a source of strength for him but for much different reason. Not wanting to think about it more than he had to, Barnaby folded up the drawing and put it away as well. Finally packed, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out the door.

 

Just as Barnaby was to leave he heard music coming from the practice room and the sound of tap shoes dancing across the wooden floor. Barnaby made his way over to the entrance of the room and dared to quick peek. To his surprise there he saw Kotetsu doing what seemed to be a warm-up routine. The music was bouncy and catchy, a jazzy sound with a classic twist, it oddly suited the man's personality. Barnaby had to admit as a watched Kotetsu dance about the room that his skills seemed to be a lot sharper than before. Apparently Kotetsu was telling the truth about practicing at home. Barnaby would be lying if he said he wasn't a little impressed. Maybe Kotetsu was more reliable than he thought. However, he was never going to tell him that, heaven knew the last thing that man needed was a boost to his ego. Barnaby only gave a small smile and took his leave.

 

That night there was a huge banquet that was being held in honor for the mayor of Sternbild. He had just won reelection and Sternbild's high society and local celebrities that endorsed him were there to celebrate. The event was held in a huge banquet hall that was in one of Sternbild's tallest skyscrapers. There were crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. They were dimmed just enough so that the glory of the city outside could be seen easily through the large windows. Steam powered airships flew in circles around the skyscraper. They were elegant in design and were the pride of the mayor's campaign. They served as good advertisement for his reelection. They helped broadcast the mayor's slogans and message, being flown around for all to see and hear. It worked far better than posting up posters and other old-fashioned ways of campaigning. Though, there were rumors that the mayor's opponent also had to deal with sabotage in their campaign. Such rumors were never confirmed, of course.

 

 

Kotetsu stood among the other guests of the banquet watching one of the airships as it drifted by. To him it seemed like a very tacky thing to do but then again it wasn't like he was the mayor. He was just part of the entertainment. It had been a long time since Kotetsu found himself at one of these kinds of formal events. For such an event, his usual attire wouldn't do at all. He was dressed in a black formal suit, he wore a black fedora in place of his usual paperboy hat, and on his face was a domino mask.

 

Kotetsu looked around the room, as much as he didn't want to admit it he felt a little jittery. He didn't want to think it, but he had a feeling that he was experiencing stage fright again. This was his first performance in years and on top of it all at such a high class event. Kotetsu felt so out of place, his palms were sweaty and his throat felt incredibly dry. He perked up when he noticed a cocktail waitress passing by. A sly smile spread across his face, what could one drink hurt? It would help them steel his nerves after all. With that logic in mind, Kotetsu followed after the cute cocktail waitress. However, just as he reached out to take one of the drinks from the tray another hand reached out, grabbed his hand, and stopped him. Kotetsu looked at the owner and found himself staring right into the emerald green eyes of Barnaby Brooks Jr.. The young star didn't look too impressed, he moved the other dancer's hand away from the refreshment tray.

 

"Uh, B-Barnaby..." Kotetsu stammered, looking little sheepish as he scratched the back of his head.

 

"Old man, we need you to stay sober, no drinking." Barnaby said firmly as he led Kotetsu by the hand far away from the cocktail waitress.

 

"Would you stop calling me an 'old man' already?" Kotetsu whined as he pouted at the blond. "It's not exactly helping me here."

 

"What's wrong? Are you scared? What happened all that bravado back in your parlor?" Barnaby asked as they finally reached their table.

 

"Huh!? N-No! I'm J-Just..." Kotetsu stuttered, struggling with what to say.

 

"I guess you're not the big shot that you are making yourself out to be after all. So much for being a 'Tiger', you're more of a scaredy cat."

 

The stage fright started to die down to a feeling of stubbornness. Kotetsu frowned at Barnaby, a little embarrassed that he let that kid get under his skin like that. He wanted to make him eat those words.

 

"It's not going be all that hard, just act like a fool." Barnaby said confidently. Pushing Kotetsu's buttons was more of a strategical move than just insulting the man. It was a chance he was taking. Barnaby hoped that it was just enough of a push to get Kotetsu's pride going. Hopefully that would quell whatever nervousness he was suffering from. "In your case I don't think that would be much of a stretch."

 

Kotetsu's simple frown slowly turned into a look of utter disbelief. If he had any stage fright before, it was certainly gone now. "You smug son of a bi-"

 

"Gentlemen." One of the staff that worked at the event interrupted as approached them. "You're on."

 

"Come on old man, that's our cue." Barnaby said as he made his way to the center of the room.

 

The lights of the chandeliers damned until they finally went out and in their place lights on the staging area began to glow. It was right in the center of the room where everyone would be watching the entertainment. The chatter of the guests began to die down as they waited for the act to arrive. Kotetsu hesitated for a short moment and then jogged after Barnaby. He tripped a little but caught himself before he could fall over, earning laugh from some of the guests.

 

The announcer's voice came to life over an intercom system somewhere on the ceiling. "Now presenting "Barnaby Brooks Jr. and his new friend Mr. Tiger!"

 

"Good evening everyone! I hope you're all enjoying yourselves!" Barnaby said with a charming smile. "Congratulations to the mayor for winning yet another reelection!"

 

The audience erupted into applause, the mayor smiled and gave a bow in response.

 

"I'm glad to see that my vote counted, unlike my friend's here. He voted for the other guy." Barnaby said with a short chuckle.

 

"Oi, oi, I liked the other guy!" Kotetsu retorted, acting defensive. There was a sillier tone in his voice to make it sound as if he were a little more stupid. It was a little obnoxious but it served its purpose.

 

"That's because you're the typical uninformed voter." Barnaby added earning even more of a laugh from the crowd. "Please forgive my friend Mr. Tiger, he's not from the city. He's still trying to get used to how things work out here."

 

"That's not true!" Kotetsu interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at the blond. "I have been getting the hang of things!"

 

"Oh really?" Barnaby said as he faked surprise. He smiled and gave a small laugh. "Then tell me, what's that over there?" He pointed out to one of the buildings that could be seen from the windows.

 

"That's easy, it's..." Kotetsu paused, he was actually about to give the right answer but stopped himself. "Uh...It's...It's a building, of course!"

 

There was more laughter from the audience and a bit of murmuring. There were some comments floating around about the young blond gentleman. There were a quite a few about his looks and his charm. It seemed like Maverick's idea was working after all.

 

"Oh? I see, the one about that one next to it?" Barnaby asked as he pointed to another Sternbild landmark.

 

"That's another building!" Kotetsu answered as if it was the most logical thing in the world. He made big gestures as he talked and got more into character as he continued. "And see that right next to it? That's another building and so are those other things right next it! In fact all those things sticking out from the ground with pretty the lights on them? They're all buildings!"

 

The room erupted in laughter at how ridiculous Mr. Tiger was. Their laughter continued as Mr. Tiger strutted around, looking mighty proud of himself as Barnaby had a palm to his face. It took a couple of minutes for the laughter to die down. 

 

"You really are hopeless aren't you?" Barnaby laughed as he shook his head. His laughter was real that time. Barnaby couldn't remember the last time he had a good laugh like that. He hadn't expected Kotetsu to be that good at improvising. He had to admit that the old man was actually pretty funny.

 

The act went on from there, the two of them performed a little song and dance number about being in the big city. Barnaby sang the parts praising Sternbild's beauty. Kotetsu sung about misunderstanding or twisting what Barnaby said and would make puns. He'd also point out less impressive parts of the city that only a 'country bumpkin' would find appealing. Even their dancing had a contrast to it. Barnaby would dance smoothly and lively while Kotetsu danced about in a more old-fashioned and clumsy way.

 

It was a hit with the guests they enjoyed the jokes and the dancing as there was both applause and laughter. This part of the act basically served as a warm-up, as soon as they were done cracking a few more jokes it was time for Mr. Tiger to take a seat and rest. With the crowds defenses down it meant that Barnaby could wow them more easily with the real meat of the act.

 

Kotetsu was glad the his part of the act was done. He watched as Barnaby performed in danced and sang for the audience. He had to admit, Barnaby was pretty fun to watch. The kid had good talent but something seemed a little off to Kotetsu. He couldn't put his finger on it, but as he watched Barnaby dance there was something there that told him that he wasn't completely in it. I left him a little worried for the boy but he swiftly tried to squash that feeling. It wasn't his business, right?

 

Kotetsu smiled when he noticed another passing cocktail waitress. His had done his job so he gladly plucked a glass off of the tray and gave the heavenly lady a thankful nod. Kotetsu could've sworn he saw her wink at him and smiled a little. As shameless as it might have seemed, it was still a little nice to know that he wasn't too old to attract a little attention.

 

Kotetsu continued to watch the show, thinking over how this was going be his life for the next year. Even if it wasn't the greatest of roles it was still kind of nice to be performing again. If he got too used to it, it could be hard to simply quit again. Noticing the direction of his thoughts were taking, Kotetsu tried to remind himself of why that wouldn't work. That he and Barnaby didn't even like each other and that he was only a temporary part of his act.

 

"One year..." Kotetsu sighed as he stared at the liquid in his glass. He swished it around a couple of times before he finally drank it all down in one gulp.

 

He had just one year to help the kid get the hang of the business. That was of course if Barnaby would even listen to him. The kid seemed to have his own ideas of what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. Kotetsu could feel in his bones that this wasn't going to be an easy job at all. After he set his glass on the table his eyes drifted to his ring. He could imagine Tomoe telling him to hang in there. He smiled a little before he moved his hand towards his lips and gave a light kiss to his wedding ring. He then looked out the closest window and noticed a red moon in the sky peeking out from behind the clouds.

 

"Well darling, this is going to be one hell of a year."

 

– End of Chapter –


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a month since the debut of 'Barnaby and Tiger'. The two had been an unexpected hit, an interesting combination of sophistication and more lowbrow humor. Over a week after their debut they started to tour her around the state of New York. Kotetsu had forgotten just how tough touring could be, he had to leave Kaede in the care of his mother while he was away. It wasn't exactly the easiest explaining to her why she couldn't go with, she was so stubborn. Kaede wanted to get to know Barnaby more and was certain that she was grown-up enough to be able to handle a tour with her father. Much to her dismay she had to let her father go but Kotetsu would stay in contact with her and call her as many times as he could throughout his trip.

 

Kotetsu gave a long yawn, he tried to stop himself but he couldn't help but with how tired he had been lately. He was on the phone with Kaede while standing next to the reception desk of the hotel that he, Maverick, and Barnaby were staying at.

 

"Dad! Are you listening to me?" Kaede suddenly half yelled into the phone, to wake up her father.

 

Kotetsu suddenly jumped at the sudden volume of her voice and soon settled down only to yawn again. "Papa's sorry sweetheart, travels been a little hard on him. What were you saying?"

 

"I wanted to know how Barnaby was doing and if you two are becoming friends yet." Kaede reminded him sounding a little concerned. She has been really hoping that the two of them would become friends. However hearing her father often complain was rather disappointing. "You promised me that you would try. I don't want you breaking that, Barnaby needs a friend too."

 

"Aww, Kaede take it easy on your Papa, he's really trying." Kotetsu whined pathetically into the phone. He had to sit through more for scolding but he was happy to hear from her.

 

Barnaby was making his way to the pool, dressed in a bathrobe because he was to do both a photo shoot in a speedo and another interview. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Kotetsu on the phone in the lobby. Even though it wasn't any of his business, he could overhear what the older man was saying. Kotetsu must've been talking to his daughter again. Throughout the tour Barnaby would sometimes catch Kotetsu making calls home and checking in on his family. He couldn't help but give a small smile, even if the two of them clashed, Barnaby still respected that the man was a dedicated father.

 

Kotetsu shivered when he felt that there were eyes on him, he looked over his shoulder and spotted Barnaby. He gave a small wave, looking briefly confused when he saw the young star walking around in a bathrobe, and continued to talk on the phone. Barnaby then realized that he had been staring and felt a little embarrassed. He tried to regain his usual composure and made his way to the outdoor pool area of the hotel.

 

Kotetsu continued to watch Barnaby as he passed by, not too sure what to make of the young man's occasional strange behavior. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Kaede call his attention.

 

"You always say that dad but I don't think you're trying at all." Kaede accused with a pout. "It can't be that hard to make friends, can it?"

 

Kotetsu gave a long sigh, Kaede made it sound so easy when it wasn't. It wasn't that Kotetsu wasn't trying to get along, it was that him and Barnaby didn't exactly share the same interests. There were times when Kotetsu would try to go out of his way to be more friendly with the kid, only to be told that he was acting creepy. Now and then he would even invite Barnaby for a drink, or catch a film, or grab a bite to eat somewhere. Yet, Barnaby would usually decline. He seemed preoccupied most of the time and more of the type that enjoyed the more refined things in life. Barnaby was more fond of things like theater, a quiet night to himself, opera, and classic novels. Kotetsu had more fun doing things like playing the guitar and singing with people like the hotel staff when they were on break. He would also try to catch motion pictures when he could or going out for a drink at the local bar. It was a little hard to make a friendship without some common ground. However Kotetsu couldn't blame Kaede for not knowing that, it wasn't like she was there to see it.

 

"Things aren't always that easy, Kaede. Your Papa's trying to get along but you also have to understand, we're not here to be friends." Kotetsu tried his best to explain without sounding too harsh. "We work together because it's our job, not because we like each other."

 

Kaede was shocked by what her father had said! Who wouldn't like Barnaby Brooks Jr.? "Dad! That's so mean to say! How could you?!"

 

Kotetsu scratched the back of his head looking little sheepish. He didn't want to disappoint his daughter but at the same time he didn't know what else to say. If she wanted the truth, that was it. "Sweetheart, you have to understand that's how the world works sometimes. It's not all fun and games being an adult."

 

"You're horrible dad!" With that said Kaede angrily hung up the phone.

 

Kotetsu cringed at the sound of the phone hitting the receiver. He looked at the phone in his hand worriedly. Kaede's words tended to cut deep, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for himself. He handed the phone back to the desk clerk and thanked them for letting him use it. Kotetsu then made his way over to the nearby lobby while trying to sort through some of his thoughts.

 

Meanwhile back in Sternbild at the Kaburagi house, Kaede hung up the phone and took a seat on the couch. She had such a pout on her face, upset with how silly her father was. Seated on the other side couch was her grandmother and her uncle Tonio.

 

Antonio was in Sternbild again, taking a break from a tour of his own. He promised Kotetsu that he would help keep an eye on the family if he was around. Anju and Antonio were both busy working on some knitting. Being the oldest child and his family, it was one of the domestic skills that Antonio had to make use of while he was growing up. Over the years of knowing Kotetsu and his family, Anju became a very good teacher.

 

Antonio broke his concentration for a moment to take a quick peek at Kaede. "I take it that your talk with your dad didn't go well?"

 

Anju gave a small chuckle. "She's such a willful girl sometimes."

 

"Dad is being so stupid!" Kaede declared with a huff. She then picked up one of her magazines and opened it to a page where it showed both her father and Barnaby dancing and smiling together. Kaede then pointed to the pictures of them and looked at her uncle and grandma. "He says that they aren't friends but look at him in this!"

 

Both Anju and Antonio looked up from their work and at the article that Kaede was pointing to in her magazine.

 

"You can't always believe what you read in those things, Kaede." Antonio began to explain. He gently took the magazine from her and looked at the article himself. "Gossip rags like that will only tell you what they want you to hear. Lots of the time you're not gettin' the full story."

 

Kaede frowned a little, she seemed very confused. "But how can you work with somebody if you don't like them?"

 

"It's part of being an adult, Kaede." Anju added as she continued her knitting. "Many grown-ups work with people that they don't want anything to do with. But they have a job to do, so they do it. It's like that in your father's profession too."

 

Kaede was quiet for a little while as she let this information sink in. She had never thought about it that way. She remembered how some of her teachers at school didn't care for the principle or other particular teachers in the staff. Or her own dad would complain about his boss, Mr. Lloyd's and a couple of the other teachers at the dance school. Kaede never thought that her dad's new job with all the singing and dancing was even really a job. To her, it sounded like something that would be a lot more fun than actual work.

 

"Show business isn't all fun and games Kaede." Antonio said as he handed her magazine back to her. He started to continue on his own knitting as he kept talking. "Sometimes you have to do a lot of pretending. I've known some partners that can act like they love each other on stage. But as soon as they're behind the scenes, they show how much they hate each other."

 

"You don't think that's what dad and Barnaby are like, do you?" Kaede asked with a horrified look on her face.

 

"No, your dad's a little more professional than that, even if he doesn't act like it at first." Antonio explained with a small laugh. "He's been in the show business game long enough to know how it works."

 

"Do you think they'll ever be friends?" Kaede asked with a slightly sad look on her face.

 

"Well, that's up to the two of them." Anju answered her with a small sigh. "Your father has never been the easiest man to get along with."

 

Antonio gave a laugh after hearing that. He knew all too well how true that was. "Yeah but he does have a tendency of somehow getting under your skin. Then you can never get rid of him."

 

"Speaking from personal experience, Antonio?" Anju said with a smile and a small laugh. Remembering full well of the two's past shenanigans. "If I remember right, there was a time where the two of you hated each other."

 

Antonio gave an awkward smile and blushed a little, knowing exactly what Anju was referring to. It was hard to forget the days when they were nicknamed 'Kotetsu the Terrible Tiger' and 'Antonio the Brazen Bison'. A couple of punks that thought they were pair of real tough guys.

 

Kaede looked a bit surprised by this, she had always remembered her dad and uncle Tonio being quite close. She smiled a little, feeling more hopeful that her dad and Barnaby would also get along one day. Kaede picked up her magazine and looked back at the article, seeing the two of them smile and dancing and posing for the cameras.

 

"Your father will be coming back home in a couple of days, Kaede." Anju reminded the girl while giving a knowing look. "He won't be able to call, so when you see him you should apologize for yelling at him."

 

Kaede pouted and didn't say anything but she had a feeling her grandma was right. She probably did sound very mean on the phone with him. Maybe she was being too hard on her dad, especially if he had to travel so much and work hard. Kaede went on to read her magazine, while in the back of her mind she tried to think of the best way to say sorry.

 

Back at the hotel things were pretty peaceful, it wasn't the most expensive but it was still fairly luxurious. According to Maverick, they had to put up appearances to help show their importance. Barnaby and Maverick got the better rooms while Kotetsu was often stuck staying in one of the cramped spare rooms that were usually reserved for live-in staff. They had to put up appearances but it didn't always mean that they had the money to back it up. This meant cutting back on some expenses, most of the time Kotetsu's, until they were able to make more money. To make more money they had to have more fame. To get more fame, they had to have more exposure. Which meant more traveling, more practice, and made for very tired Mr. Tiger.

 

Kotetsu sat back in one of the chairs of the lobby. A newspaper held loosely in his hands as his head lolled back and he snored. He had been trying to read the funny papers until he fell asleep without warning. When he felt something lightly tap his shoulder, Kotetsu sat up with a start and a snort. He looked to his shoulder and saw pale hand, following the hand, up the arm, his gaze finally rested on the owner's face. A very pale face, framed by long, wavy platinum blonde hair, that was mostly tied back into a ponytail.

 

Kotetsu paled as his eyes went wide, looking as if he saw a ghost. A name barely made it past his lips. "J-Judge Petrov...?"

 

"We're not in court Mr. Kaburagi, you can call me Mr. Petrov here." The pale judge said with a slight smile. He and Kotetsu had the occasional run in with the court system. Usually when Kotetsu had somehow either accidently broke the law or broke something that ended up getting him a fine.

 

"U-uh...Whatever got broke, I swear I didn't do it." Kotetsu insisted, he raised his newspaper defensively in front of him.

 

Yuri gave a slight smile, he had to admit that sometimes he found the man a little funny. "Actually, I'm on vacation here."

 

"V-vacation?" Kotetsu looked very surprised. He had heard rumors of Judge Yuri Petrov being such a relentless pursuer of 'justice'. He didn't think the guy was the type that would take a vacation, willingly, that is. "I... I see. Um..."

 

"I'm sorry if I startled you, I just didn't expect to see a familiar face here." Yuri explained, looking ever so slightly disappointed. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen you in the courts in a while. Also, it's a little odd finding a man of your income vacationing here."

 

"A-Ah ha, well you see I...I'm not really on vacation." Kotetsu said a little nervously. It was bizarre trying to have a regular conversation with Judge Yuri. Yet Kotetsu did start to sound a little more normal as he continued to talk. "I'm temporarily working in a new job, traveling is just another part of it, I guess."

 

"That's good to hear, it wouldn't be good for you if you're doing anything shady. You might end up with more on your plate than just a fine." Yuri said. There was the strangest hint of warning in his voice. It was enough to make Kotetsu get a chill up his spine. "It also seems that you're not getting into as much trouble as you were before. Keep up the good work, Mr. Kaburagi."

 

"I'll...do my best, Mr. Petrov." Kotetsu said with a nervous smile. "Uh, so...how is your vacation going?"

 

The two ended up talking a little more than Kotetsu had expected. Yuri was a quiet man with a certain strictness to him. Yet he seemed to be a real fish out of water when it came to trying to vacation and relax. That was probably why he was looking for somebody to talk to, he must have been pretty bored. The awkwardness faded a little as time went by and their conversation even became a little more friendly. However it wasn't too long before Yuri had to leave, saying that there was some business he had to attend to that night.

 

"What a strange guy..." Kotetsu mumbled as he watched the judge leave the lobby. He turned his attention back to the newspaper and started turning the pages. The funny papers wouldn't be enough to keep his attention anymore. Nothing really popped out at him as being interesting until his eyes landed on the title of a certain article. Something about it sent another chill through him; though he couldn't explain why. "'The Blood Moon Killer Strikes Again'?"

 

Kotetsu remembered hearing that name, it was often switched around with the 'masked assassin'. They were both names that he would hear while walking on the streets of Sternbild. Often announced in the headlines by paperboys as they were trying to sell their papers to the passing citizens. The rumor was that there was an assassin with a crossbow that would appear at night, mostly on the nights of the red moon. Most of the time it seemed that the assassin's targets were criminals, except for the few that at first made no sense. One was a banker, who it was later found had ties to a murder. Another was a lawyer that often kept criminals that could afford their services out of jail. The whole situation had the citizens of Sternbild more mindful of themselves at night. It was odd though, the Blood Moon Killer was a Sternbild thing, what was he doing all the way out here?

 

Kotetsu's thoughts were interrupted when he heard somebody call for him.

 

"Ah, Mr. Kaburagi..." This time it was Maverick. The old man waved to Kotetsu as he approached. "I was just looking for you, there are some things I want to go over with you about your part in the act. I thought of a couple  ideas that might be good for the next show."

 

Kotetsu didn't seem too happy to hear that. Usually that meant that he had to make even more of a fool of himself. Maverick had a habit of micromanaging the act, he made most of the decisions of how they were to perform and where. It was suffocating to Kotetsu, he would've preferred just talking it over with Barnaby himself. It would have helped them with their teamwork and the act could be a little more fair.

 

During their last show, Kotetsu had to take a banana cream pie to the face. Which was once something he swore he would never have to do again when his days clown had ended. On another show, he got slapped with the fish. Kotetsu looked a little uneasy as he remembered those incidents. He wasn't too sure if he really wanted to know what Maverick had in store for him next.

 

As Kotetsu and Maverick discussed the act, Barnaby had just finished his photo shoot and interview. He was walking back from the outdoor pool area of the hotel and caught sight of the two sitting in the lobby. It was at that time that Barnaby decided that be a good opportunity to have a little time to himself. He made his way over to the elevator to go back to his room.

 

After drying off and getting dressed, Barnaby started to go through his bag and took out an envelope with a letter in it. It was given to him earlier that day by one of the hotel staff. Taking out the piece of paper he saw that written on it was a time and a place where he was supposed to meet the sender of the letter. Barnaby looked up at the clock in his room, it would be evening soon. It was still too early to go to the meeting place but Barnaby still had to be mindful of the time. Maverick had arranged it so that they were to catch a train that was heading back to Sternbild that night. It was a little frustrating to say the least, the timing was absolutely horrible. He even begged his uncle if they could have at least one more day but Maverick wouldn't budge on the decision, saying that it was a money issue.

 

It was rather frustrating, part of Barnaby had a feeling that that wasn't really the truth. Maverick had a fortune in his own right and was also in charge of the money that was left to Barnaby by his parents. The young star would have control of it by the time he was twenty eight, as written in their will. In the meantime Maverick made sure that Barnaby was given allowances and that he was paid for his performances. It seemed like a very strange excuse but then again, what reason would Maverick have for lying to him?

 

Not wanting to dwell on the thought anymore, Barnaby planned on going to the meeting spot at the given time anyway. He would have to try to keep the meeting his brief as he could but he couldn't let the opportunity completely pass him by. It was too important, one of the first leads that he had gotten in a long time.

 

Barnaby looked over at the photograph of his parents  that he had set on the desk in his hotel room. His eyes then drifted to the piece of paper with the drawing of the serpant that lied next to it. His reminder that the people that killed his parents were still out there.

 

Nighttime came and Kotetsu was carrying his luggage to the front of the hotel where Maverick was waiting. Kotetsu set his luggage down next to the others, he looked around a little confused. Maverick was here but Barnaby wasn't, it was odd because the kid was usually punctual.

 

"Where's Barnaby?" Kotetsu asked after a couple of minutes of waiting.

 

"I was hoping that he was with you this entire time." Maverick said with concern. He looked around the area just in case if the blond was anywhere nearby. "All his things are here, I just don't know where he is."

 

Kotetsu looked at his watch to check the time. "Well, we still have some time before the train gets to the station. If we wait around too long though we might not make it in time to catch it."

 

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind going to look for him then, would you?" Maverick responded, it was more as a statement than an actual question.

 

Kotetsu caught the hint and while he didn't exactly appreciate it, he wasn't about to argue. He didn't want to miss the train either, he wanted to go home and finally get some rest. He told Maverick that he would be back as soon as possible and walked off to find Barnaby. Kotetsu started looking in the obvious areas, from Barnaby's hotel room to the pool area where he was just earlier that day. He asked around if anybody in the staff had seen the young rising celebrity, figuring he'd stick out to them.

 

Finding nothing, Kotetsu was about to give up when suddenly one of the maids hurried towards him.

 

"Excuse me! You're staying with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Maverick aren't you?"

 

Kotetsu looked at the maid. "Yeah, sort of, did you see Barnaby anywhere?"

 

The maid then looked around to make sure that nobody listening to them. She moved a little closer to Kotetsu. "Just between you, me, and the wind,I saw him heading towards a particular exit in the hotel. You can find it if you just go down the hallway, to the end, and take a left." The maid explained, she then lowered her voice but kept it at a volume that Kotetsu could still hear. "There's something else that you should know. Past that exit is a certain spot that's been known for some shady dealings, if you know what I mean."

 

It didn't take Kotetsu long to understand what the maid was saying. He could also see the expectant look in her eyes as well. So he dug into his pocket and took out a couple of bills to give to her. "Let's keep this between us, promise? Thank you for telling me."

 

The maid gladly took the money gave a little curtsy to the gentleman and sauntered off. Kotetsu followed her directions and headed down the hallway, just as she said there was the exit. He hesitated a moment before opening the door, not sure of what he would find. Perhaps he should just let Barnaby be and just wait for him to arrive at the entrance of the hotel. Yet, the fatherly side of him felt that it could be dangerous to leave Barnaby out there by himself. Kotetsu nibbled on his bottom lip, made his decision, and slowly opened the door.

 

He found himself standing in an alleyway, the only light source coming from an old lamp above the hotel exit. Further down there was barely enough light to see anything. Yet Kotetsu could still hear and what he heard was voices.

 

From what he could tell, they were further into the alley so he cautiously made his way closer to them. Carefully looking around making sure that there was nothing there to jump him. Kotetsu could barely make out the outlines of two figures in the shadows ahead. He looked around for a place where he could hide. Luckily for him the alley was connected to another one so he hid there, just around the corner. Kotetsu pressed himself against the brick wall and strained his ears to pick up whatever he could of the conversation.

 

One of the voices that he could make out was certainly Barnaby's. The other voice he had no idea who it belonged to but it sounded like they were some thug. He could barely make out what they were saying, only one word managed to stick out.

 

"Ouro...boros...?" Kotetsu whispered to himself, trying to see if the word sounded familiar.

 

Right then he was interupted when he felt something on his shoe. Kotetsu could feel his skin crawl as he started to slowly look down. There, perched on his foot was a rat that he could've sworn was a size of a small dog. Panic hit Kotetsu like a truck, he gasped and almost screamed as he kicked the large rodent away. It took everything he had to try and keep himself quiet. Unfortunately, he still caught the attention of the two men in the alley.

 

"Did you hear that?" Said the voice of the thug, then came that sounds of his footsteps approaching the other alley.

 

Kotetsu quietly hurried further into the alley on instinct, and looked for a place to hide. Luckily there was a dumpster nearby and he ducked behind it. He could still hear the man making his way towards him. Kotetsu could feel his blood rushing and his heart start to pound in his chest at the thought that the man had saw him. He tried to keep his breathing quiet and be ready in case if he needed to fight.

 

Closer and closer still, the sound of the thug's footsteps echoed, so it was a little hard to pin point just where the man was. Kotetsu could practically feel the man's presence reaching the end of the dumpster, almost right next to him. He sucked in a breath and prepared himself to pounce.

 

"It was probably just a cat." Barnaby called out, stopping the thug from going any further. "We have business to finish, I'm giving you both my partner's pay and my own. I don't have time for this."

 

Kotetsu could feel the thug's presence leave and he gave a long, quiet sigh of relief. He felt lightheaded from all the excitement. That feeling quickly left however, when he remembered just what Barnaby had said.

 

_'I'm giving you both **my partner's pay** and my own.'_

 

Kotetsu kept his mouth shut tight, holding back the string of curses he wanted to throw at that brat. Just where the hell did that kid get off taking his money?!

 

Kotetsu made no move to go back to the entrance of the alley. He had to wait for Barnaby and that thug to go back so not to risk being seen. He didn't need any more trouble that night, though now he was worried for Barnaby. Just what could the kid be thinking? Didn't he realize that he was putting himself in danger by dealing with people like that? Also, what did he need all that money for anyway?

 

Before Kotetsu could think anymore on the subject, he heard both men walking up the alleyway and back towards the exit of the hotel. After hearing the door open and close, Kotetsu got up from his hiding place and took his time making his way back. The last thing he needed was to run into those two and have them figure out where he was. As he made his way to the exit, Kotetsu noticed that there was a folded piece of paper on the ground. He bent down to pick it up and noticed that there was something scribbled on it. When Kotetsu unfolded the piece of paper he found himself greeted by the red drawing of a serpent skewered with the sword. He folded the paper back up and put it in his pocket for the time being. Part of Kotetsu felt that he should just throw it away. Another part of him felt that it could have been something important. For the time being though, he decided to push the thought of the strange drawing to the back of his mind.

 

It didn't take too long to meet up with Barnaby and Maverick at the front of the hotel. Two cabs were there, one to hold the luggage and the other to carry the passengers. As Kotetsu approached he called out to both Barnaby and Maverick and apologized for being late.

 

"Ah! Sorry! I was looking all over for him but I see he came back on his own." Kotetsu said as he approached them.

 

"Mr. Kaburagi, we a running late, please be more mindful of the time." Maverick snipped at him. He saw that Kotetsu was about to protest but held up a hand to silence him. "I don't want to hear any excuses. Now, you are to ride with the luggage and make sure they get to the train station safely. Barnaby and I will take the other cab."

 

Kotetsu grumbled to himself as he made his way over to the car. He was stopped when Barnaby placed a hand on his shoulder. Kotetsu jumped slightly at the sudden contact from the young man.

 

"Old man, where were you before?" Barnaby asked, he didn't sound angry but he did sound a little suspicious.

 

"Huh? I was looking for you, I was on a wild goose chase! I asked the staff where you were, I checked the pool, and I looked in your room." Kotetsu answered, trying to sound is normal as he possibly could. "I was all over that damn hotel."

 

There was an unreadable expression on Barnaby's face, it seemed a reasonable enough explanation. Yet, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that Kotetsu was trying to hide something from him. He couldn't ask anything else of the man though as Maverick called to him from the other cab. "All right, you have safe trip, old man."

 

Kotetsu gave a relieved sigh as he watched Barnaby enter the other cab with Maverick. He got into the cab with the luggage and watched as the scenery started to pass by as the cab start to drive away from the hotel. The events in the alley kept playing back in Kotetsu's mind, as much as he tried to not think about them. He didn't need any more trouble from Barnaby. It was a shame that he couldn't bring himself to stop worrying about him.

 

-End of Chapter-


	8. Chapter 8

It was getting very late, the moon was high in the sky giving a ghostly glow and ever so slightly lighting the night time landscape. The train chugged its way along throughout the night steadfastly. There were acres and acres of corn fields and farmland and the occasional town that would pass through to make brief stops. The night air was very cold outside, one could feel the cold radiating off the glass of the windows from inside the train. Some people found it easy to sleep with the ambience of the steam engine and the slight rocking from the train's movements. This didn't work well for everyone though, wide-awake and unable to sleep were Kotetsu and Barnaby. The two of them sat awkwardly opposite of each other while Maverick had managed to fall asleep and didn't seem too bothered.

 

Kotetsu watched the passing scenery from the window of the train. It was ridiculous, how could he be so tired and be unable to sleep a wink when he finally had a chance to rest? Kotetsu gave a quiet sigh. He could see the reflection of Maverick, Barnaby, and himself in the surface of the glass. Kotetsu could see Barnaby was still awake as well. With Maverick still asleep, it might have been a good chance to try and talk with him privately.

 

However, the events of earlier that night played back in Kotetsu's mind. He didn't want to think that a kid like Barnaby could be mixed up with something shady. The survivalist in him told him that he should just keep his distance from Barnaby. The last thing Kotetsu needed was any of that kid's trouble following him home. Yet, the part of him that was a father couldn't simply let it go like that. He wanted to make sure that Barnaby was okay. He wasn't a bad kid, perhaps just a bit awkward.

 

"So you can't sleep either, huh?" Kotetsu chirped. He could see he accidentally startled Barnaby a little bit. He gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. I forgot how train rides can be really boring. There's not much you can do other than watch the scenery."

 

Barnaby kept a wary eye on Kotetsu, not quite sure what to make of the man's sudden attempt at conversation. He was quiet for a moment then finally answered, "How did you handle these kinds of trips? You don't seem to be that patient, but you've been pretty quiet throughout ride."

 

"Train rides can be boring but they can also be pretty relaxing from time to time. Especially after all the hustle and bustle that can usually come in this business." Kotetsu explained. He looked back out the window, out at the moon and the peaceful scenery. "My wife and I would talk a lot on these trips. About things like planning our future and what it was going be like when we hit the big time."

 

At first Barnaby was reluctant to take part in small talk but he was very bored himself by that point. He took a moment to think about what he could talk about. He didn't know Kotetsu that well, which made it a little difficult choosing where to start. "My uncle mentioned that you were in an act with your wife. I take it that she's retired?"

 

"Ah, no she passed away a few years ago." Kotetsu answered with a weary smile. It was obvious the question made him a little uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat, trying to get more comfortable.

 

Barnaby felt a slight feeling of panic for a short moment and looked away from Kotetsu. He felt his face burn as he blushed from embarrassment. He didn't quite expect to step on a landmine so soon. There was a long, awkward silence between them.

 

"Show business was changing at the time. Vaudeville was struggling to survive and it just didn't feel right not performing with her anymore. So I decided to retire from show business and I went into teaching." Kotetsu explained . He didn't want Barnaby to think that he was mad at him. He gave him just enough information to satisfy the kid's curiosity. He smiled again, a little more genuinely.

 

"I'm sorry to hear that." Barnaby said as he still averted his eyes from Kotetsu.

 

In all honesty, he had always thought that the older performer simply burnt out from show business and crawled into a bottle. He didn't expect something like that to be the reason why he retired. It occurred to Barnaby that perhaps he was unfair in writing off Kotetsu as just being some washed up drunkard.

 

"Uh oh... Looks like one of those farms is on fire." Kotetsu mentioned as he pointed out the window.

 

Outside there was a farmhouse that was ablaze and giving a bright orange glow that lit up the surrounding night scene. The farmer, their family, and nearby neighbors were all struggling to put out the flames. But it seemed like the fire was too big to get under control. The people still struggled to save what they could. Some were still trying to put out the fire while others were moving farm animals to safe distance away from the flames.

 

"I hope they can put it out and save what they can." Kotetsu said in a worried tone. "It has to be awful losing your home."

 

Barnaby watched as the farmhouse in the distance passed their window. For a moment time seemed to slow down. The burning house passed by slower than it should have. Barnaby's eyes were fixated on the flames and he could hear the crackle of fire in his ears. He swallowed when a mental image flashed briefly in his mind. Another image flashed, this time of a shadowy figure. Barnaby was so small back then, peering through the partially open doors of the living room in his childhood home. Barnaby shook his head, not wanting to think of that memory. It was not the time or place for such things.

 

"I hate fire." He murmured quietly.

 

Kotetsu looked at him, he just barely caught what he had said. He could see that Barnaby looked like he was having headache. "Are you okay? You look a little under the weather."

 

Barnaby didn't bother to answer Kotetsu this time, he stayed quiet and lost in his own thoughts. He was a little frustrated. The lead that he had paid so much money for wasn't as useful as he hoped it would be. He had been tracking down a man that had ties to a certain criminal organization. The man known as 'J. G. Benjamin'. A notorious serial killer who had murdered over twenty women in the past ten years. Barnaby had met Benjamin once before, during the trial where he was finally put away to serve two hundred fifty years for his crimes. At the time he was Barnaby's only lead to the organization known as 'Ouroboros'. Yet being as young as he was at the time, the authorities wouldn't take him seriously when he said that he needed to question the man.

 

What he got out of his informant was the name of the sanitarium where Benjamin now resided. It was in New York State quite a ways away from Sternbild, Barnaby was the closest that he had ever been to finding J. G. Benjamin. Yet, Benjamin was highly guarded and questioning of him was absolutely prohibited. The circumstances on why were kept under wraps. It all came down to Barnaby's biggest lead being completely useless to him.

 

Not to mention he had to be careful of his uncle Maverick. His uncle worried about him and his fixation on Ouroboros. The organization had been rumored to have its hands deep in a lot of Sternbild's workings and crimes. According to Maverick, it was unbecoming and unsafe for a man of Barnaby's status to chase something like revenge. To Barnaby however, it just seemed like Maverick would never understand. So he had to keep his personal investigations a secret. Though there were times Barnaby wondered if Maverick had caught on and knew he was still looking into the organization.

 

"Bunny? Hey, are you alright?" Kotetsu asked, his voice more firm. He looked a bit concerned.

 

He could see that Barnaby didn't look well. He was starting to worry about him. Thinking back on what he saw in the alley, Kotetsu wondered if Barnaby was into some 'unhealthy habits'. It wouldn't be the first time that he saw a young talent experiment with drugs. Perhaps Barnaby had taken something that he shouldn't have.

 

Kotetsu crossed his arms and nibbled on his lip. It wasn't his business and he knew that but the part of him that was a father had a harder time simply letting it go. He hesitated before he spoke, "You should probably try to sleep."

 

"I can say the same for you, old man." Barnaby replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Just where did this guy get off trying to tell him what to do? It was none of his business.

 

Kotetsu frowned and gave a small pout. "Oh for heaven's sake! Who the hell are you calling an old man?! I'm in my _thirties_ , you make it sound like I'm _ninety_!"

 

Barnaby quirked a brow at the older man and briefly thought about it. He didn't answer but he did think maybe Kotetsu had a point. It still wouldn't stop him from calling him an 'old man' though. Sometimes the guy needed a good knock off his high horse. If something like being called 'old man' would do it, then why not?

 

"I guess that is probably old to _you_." Kotetsu's annoyance soon grew to a look of disappointment.  Kotetsu was tempted to start making fun of Barnaby for being so young but at the same time had a feeling that would backfire on him. However he did get an idea for something else. "You know, I was once your age."

 

Barnaby rolled his eyes, not in the mood for some weird lecture from Kotetsu. He turned his attention back to the window in hopes of drowning out whatever he had to say.

 

"Back then, we could get a little crazy..." Kotetsu continued, ignoring that Barnaby wasn't interested in listening. "Sometimes we actually got pretty reckless, we would drink a lot and celebrated. Sometimes that led some of us to do...other stuff."

 

Barnaby frowned and looked at the older man. Just what was going on in that man's thick skull? He complained about being an old man yet he still sounded like one. "Just what are you implying, old man?"

 

"Ah, n-nothing, really!" Kotetsu nervously prattled. He was starting to feel little uneasy with how Barnaby was looking at him. It felt like the kid could burn holes through him just by glaring. "I mean, your young, right? Kids tend to want to try...things. It's normal, right?"

 

That strange feeling came back to Barnaby, that feeling that Kotetsu was hiding something. He sat silently for a moment wondering just what that nosy guy had been up to. His thoughts were then brought back to that alleyway and how his informant could've sworn they were being watched. "Old man, have you been spying on me?"

 

Kotetsu felt a chill run through his body with how Barnaby was glaring at him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and averted his gaze from the kid. However, the feeling of Barnaby's burning green eyes did not leave.

 

The rest of the night the two of them were mostly silent but there was still a heavy sense of unease in the air. Barnaby was going to press Kotetsu for more answers but he avoided his questions like a pro. It was getting frustrating and Barnaby was about to try to force the answer out of him. However, when the sky outside started to lighten up from the rising sun, Kotetsu stood up from his seat and began to walk away. He mumbled something about getting a little fresh air and having a smoke on another part of the train.

 

"Hey! I'm not done talking-" Barnaby stopped when he heard Maverick stir in his sleep. He watched Kotetsu's retreating back as he made his way towards the next car. "Coward..."

 

The next morning came and went, the day slowly dragged on. Barnaby looked absolutely terrible. He could barely sleep at all and because of that he looked exhausted and with bags under his eyes. Maverick couldn't understand what could've gone wrong, for him it had been a peaceful ride. Nevertheless the two of them made their way to the dining car for a meal. On their way there they caught sight of Kotetsu as he was returning back to their seats on the car. He stopped and mentioned to them that he was going to simply sleep instead of bothering to eat.

 

It wasn't too hard to tell that there was some tension between the two performers. Maverick could feel a sense of animosity between Barnaby and Kotetsu just by the way they looked at each other. He sighed and decided that he would have to intervene. The entire situation was becoming absolutely ridiculous.

 

On the dining car, Maverick found that it was a perfect time to finally have a heart-to-heart talk with Barnaby. It was not something that they really had to do that often. Barnaby had always been a well-behaved child, Maverick didn't have a whole lot of trouble with him as he was growing up. However, that didn't mean that Barnaby was completely above getting into a little mischief.

 

"Barnaby, my boy..." Maverick said abruptly, pausing to eat waiting for the blonde's attention to be on him.

 

Barnaby slowly blinked, he struggled to keep his eyes open. He became a little more alert when he noticed the expectant look of Maverick. He rubbed his eyes and tried to straighten his posture. "Yes, uncle Maverick?"

 

"It would seem the you and Mr. Kaburagi are always at odds with each other." Maverick mentioned before he took another sip of his drink. "I was hoping that the two of you would grow out of it, even just a little. Normally you're better than that, Barnaby. Tell me, what's wrong?"

 

"He's just so irritating, he thinks he knows everything just because he was older than me." Barnaby grumbled as he rubbed his temples, feeling the start of a headache. As he continued, there was a growing frustration in his voice, "He's tacky, uncouth, brash, and needs to learn to get with the times! He's incredibly nosy as well! I can't take it!"

 

"Shh! Calm down, people are going to start staring if you lose your temper like that, Barnaby." Maverick cautioned him. "That's the last thing that you need. Trust me, people don't want to see a star's true colors."

 

"I...I'm not usually like that uncle Maverick, you know that." Barnaby replied, hurt by the warning.

 

He hated being scolded by Maverick. It always ended up with Barnaby feeling terrible about himself. Maybe he could use this discussion to his advantage though. Kotetsu was obviously the problem, maybe he can convince Maverick to end their contract early. Barnaby was certain he didn't need 'Mr. Tiger' anymore. If Maverick was stubborn on the partner gimmick then perhaps he could team up with someone more sophisticated.

 

He took a short moment to gather a little courage before he continued, "Is there any way that I can get a new partner? Anybody other than Mr. Kaburagi?"

 

"In the future perhaps but for now he's actually been rather beneficial for your act." Maverick explained. "

 

He paused a moment to take another couple of bites of his food before he continued. "Don't worry though, a man of your talent will outgrow him soon enough and then that'll be the end of 'Mr. Tiger'."

 

Barnaby was a little put off by the dark tone at the end of that sentence. It almost sounded like they were plotting to kill someone. "What will happen to him then?"

 

"If he does a good enough job then he's free to continue teaching at Apollon. If not that I'm sure he can find work better suited for him." Maverick theorized. He figured that there was very few options for a man like Kotetsu to begin with. "He goes back to his dull little life and fades back into obscurity."

 

Barnaby felt an odd sense of guilt when he heard that. He remembered the few times he caught Kotetsu practicing during the tour, he had to admit the older performer had skill.  It'd be real a shame if he were to never perform again but even Kotetsu said he wanted to stay retired. However, Barnaby was left wondering how true that really was. He had to admit that Kotetsu seemed more healthy and lively than when they first started their partnership.

 

"Speaking of Mr. Kaburagi, there was something I wanted to ask you about, Barnaby..." Maverick began, interrupting the blond's thoughts. There was a knowing tone in his voice that made Barnaby's unease even worse. "I can't seem to find Mr. Kaburagi's pay."

 

It wasn't a question at all, it was a statement. Maverick already knew just who took the envelope that had Kotetsu's money. Barnaby shifted in his chair uncomfortably, feeling small and childish under the gaze of his uncle. He avoided looking at Maverick but could still feel the man's eyes on him, waiting for his answer.

 

"Barnaby, you're a young man and I understand that. However, it's a very unbecoming of a young gentleman of your pedigree to be doing such things." Maverick started to lecture him.

 

Barnaby continued not looking at him, trying to block out what he was hearing. He wasn't sure what was worse, Kotetsu's attempts at being subtle or has uncle's lectures.

 

"Your parents, God bless their souls, would be appauled."

 

Barnaby finally decided that his uncle's lectures were the worst by far. At least with Kotetsu he could secretly laugh when he thought about how silly the man was in hindsight. Maverick on the other hand, always went for his weak spots. Barnaby had no doubt the man could write a handbook on how to make people feel guilty.

 

"What am I supposed to tell Mr. Kaburagi when I can't pay him?" Maverick said, stressing the tone in his voice making sure Barnaby heard him. "The man is a father, he has a child to care for and needs to put food on the table."

 

Barnaby finally looked at Maverick in surprise. "Um, I-I..."

 

The truth was, he didn't exactly think about that part. His source had contacted him without warning, giving him little time to think of what to do. He didn't have many options when he saw the price that his informant was asking for. Barnaby still knew that what he did was wrong though. Maybe that was another reason why he found Kotetsu particularly annoying that day. Maybe it wasn't just his annoyance with the showbiz veteran but also the disappointment he had with himself.

 

"You can give him my pay for our next show, maybe even a bonus as well." Barnaby suggested. He wasn't sure what else he could do. Even if he wasn't fond of Kotetsu, it was never his intention to hurt him. He mumbled, "I'm really sorry, uncle Maverick."

 

"We all make mistakes, my boy. It's just another part of being young and I'm sure Mr. Kaburagi knows that." Maverick mentioned as he finished the last of his meal. "Though it might do some good if you gave an apology to him yourself. Give him a chance to see how sincere you truly are."

 

Barnaby watched the scenery passed by in the dining car window, not wanting to talk anymore. As much as he didn't want to admit it, sometimes he had issues with his own pride as well. It hurt a little when he had to face that.

 

"We will be arriving in Sternbild in the morning." Maverick said abruptly, catching Barnaby's attention again. "Try to get some sleep so that it will be easier to get up to return home tomorrow. Then you can rest as much as you'd like."

 

That was the first thing that sounded really good to Barnaby in a long time. Even if Sternbild was a stranger to him, the thought of going 'home' was a good one. After resting he could do a little more research with some of the information that he had received. Even if he couldn't visit J. G. Benjamin in person, maybe there was still something he could learn from looking into his past.

 

"Perhaps you can start making some friends." Maverick said with a hint of hopefulness. "I know it's been hard since you've put so much time into you're studying and we've traveled a lot. However, I think that you could do well with some friends. Maybe even a pretty little girlfriend." He added with a sly smile on his face.

 

Barnaby rolled his eyes and gave a long sigh, he should have seen that coming. He simply tuned him out as Maverick continued. He didn't care much for his uncle's insistence of getting a girlfriend but he'd take this conversation over the other.

 

Soon enough the next day finally came, the train was slowing down as it pulled into Sternbild train station. The chugging of the powerful locomotive slowed and a long, the brakes screeched as the train came to a halt. The passengers all started to get up and take their belongings. Some murmuring excitedly about their first visit the city.

 

Kotetsu gave a long yawn and stretched a little before he attempted to get up from his seat. He felt like he could easily fall right back asleep if he didn't start moving. His attention was suddenly caught when he looked out the window. He smiled widely, his tiredness seeming to disappear. Barnaby was sitting across from him, he looked a little surprised and followed his partner's gaze out the window. Standing out there with an old woman was Kaede, waving and holding up a handmade sign that said 'welcome home'. With his newfound energy, Kotetsu collected his bags and hurried his way off the train car without a word.

 

Barnaby watched from the window as he saw Kotetsu hurry over to his family. He couldn't help but smile a little, it was nice seeing a family back together. Barnaby's smile faded when he noticed that something had fallen out of Kotetsu's pocket in his hurry. He gave a sigh and grabbed his own bag and made his way off the train.

 

He climbed down the black iron steps that made it easier to walk onto the station's platform. Barnaby's eyes looked right at the folded paper on the ground. For some reason it seemed oddly familiar, he walked over to it and picked it up off the ground. Carefully unfolding the paper, Barnaby was greeted by an all too familiar symbol. He looked at Kotetsu, it was just as he had thought; the man had been spying on him. He folded up the little piece of paper, put it in his pocket, and made his way over to the Kaburagi family.

 

"Your Papa will tell you all about the trip after he gets a good nap." Kotetsu said with a yawn. His little energy burst was spent and he remembered just how tired he was. He looked at his mother and smiled. "Thanks for coming to greet me, mom. Brings back some old memories." He laughed.

 

"Ooh! Barnaby's here!" Kaede said excitedly when she  noticed that Barnaby was approaching.

 

Kotetsu looked over his shoulder and caught a certain look in the kid's eye. His smile faded when his instincts told him that Barnaby wanted to talk and that he meant business. He looked back to his mother and daughter and said, "Ah, Papa's got talk to Barnaby really quick, I'll be right back."

 

Kotetsu walked over to Barnaby, he was startled when his arm was roughly grabbed and he was led away from his family and any prying eyes. Barnaby pulled Kotetsu along until they found a more secluded spot of the station. The older man found himself forcefully pushed with his back against the wall. Barnaby then took out the folded piece of paper and showed it to him.

 

"You were spying on me, weren't you?" Barnaby said in a firm tone. This time Kotetsu's meddling had gone way too far.

 

Kotetsu swallowed, he glanced at the paper and then met Barnaby's eyes. "I found that on the floor of the hotel..."

 

"Don't lie to me, old man! You have no right to be spying on me or even getting involved in my business! It doesn't concern you!" Barnaby growled as he prodded Kotetsu's chest with his finger. "What did you hear? Did you tell Maverick?"

 

"I didn't hear anything and I sure as hell didn't say anything either." Kotetsu answered as calmly as he could. It was obvious that Barnaby wasn't believing it though. He could see the anger in the kid's eyes didn't soften at all.

 

"You are going to ruin everything that I have worked for. Don't you ever tell him what you saw." Barnaby warned harshly.

 

"Kid, if you're doing something dangerous then you have to stop." Kotetsu argued right back, finding his nerve. "You can end up getting yourself killed, do you want your uncle to find out that way?"

 

Barnaby could feel his temper start to flare, he didn't seem to be thinking anymore as his hand suddenly closed into a fist. He started to raise draw back his arm. Before he could do anything though, he was startled when he felt a large hand roughly grab onto his shoulder. Looking back Barnaby was met with the sight of a large Latino man glaring down dangerously at him.

 

"Is there a problem here?" Antonio asked, his voice was firm and bordered threatening. He didn't care who started it or how, he was finishing it right there.

 

"Tonio! Man, you're a sight for sore eyes!" Kotetsu said with relief and a smile. "What are you doing here?"

 

"What? I can't greet my best friend when he comes back from his first tour in years?" Antonio said with a quirked brow. He eased up a little and gave a smirk to his old friend. "Your mom sent me to look for ya, said something about you taking too long. So, are you ready to go home or what?"

 

"Excuse me, my partner and I were just talking, mind your own business." Barnaby interrupted, not appreciating the large man's intrusion.

 

"Kid, don't even try to sound tough with me." Antonio countered. He pulled Barnaby back with ease, putting a safe distance between the blond and Kotetsu. "I can easily fold you in half, princess."

 

Kotetsu snorted, he tried to hold back a laugh. He couldn't hold it back for long as he soon started to chuckle.

 

"What's so funny? I came to your defense." Antonio huffed, looking a little disappointed.

 

Kotetsu laughed and replied with a smile, "Just you trying to sound like a tough guy, it brings back some memories."

 

Barnaby glared at Antonio but he decided to drop the subject for now. They stared each other down for a moment, a stubborn bull and a cocky rabbit. He finally moved out of Kotetsu's way and let the man leave. When he was out of earshot Barnaby looked up at Antonio.

 

"It wasn't your place interrupt. He's been meddling with things that isn't any of his business." Barnaby explained firmly. "He has got to stop."

 

"I know damn well how that guy can be, I've known him for years." Antonio said as he frowned at Barnaby. He gave a tired sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He knew Kotetsu all too well, he must have been unintentionally stirring up trouble again. "I'll talk with him about leaving whatever it is alone. But I better not catch you doing that again or we're going to have a problem."

 

"How do you put up with him? He's crude and insufferable." Barnaby asked without thinking. It just slipped out, out of frustration.

 

"You know, I've asked myself that question a lot over the years. The guy is a cockroach, it's hard to get rid of him." Antonio answered with playful sarcasm. He started to walk ahead of Barnaby, to meet up with the Kaburagi family. He paused and looked back at the young blond. "He can be a jackass but he _is_ a good man. Like I said, I'll talk to him about leaving your business alone. Just don't do anything stupid that could get him hurt." With that said, he finally left.

 

Barnaby was left to ponder over that last part of what Antonio said. How could what he was doing get Kotetsu hurt? All his partner had to do was to stay away, right? Barnaby decided not to think on it any more than that. He made his way back to where his uncle would waiting for him. To his surprise, he found Maverick talking with the Kaburagi family. He looked all too pleased with himself and Kotetsu looked a little grumpy.

 

"Uncle Maverick?" Barnaby asked as he walked over to them. "What's going on?"

 

"Ah, Barnaby my boy! Little Kaede here was just talking to me about how she wished you and her father would get along better." Maverick began to explain. His hand was on the girl's shoulder as she looked proud of herself. "To be quite frank, I agree with her. I think it would do you both some good if you'd put more effort into getting along."

 

Both Barnaby and Kotetsu locked eyes for a moment. Neither of them were liking the sound of this at all. They then looked at Maverick, both a little worried of what he would have to say next.

 

"So, from now on you two are required to have the occasional 'play date'." Maverick said with a cunning smile. "Something to help spur you both along into having a more happy and healthy partnership."

 

Kotetsu nibbled on his bottom lip, his eyes darted to Barnaby and then back to Maverick. Barnaby looked equally displeased, his hand going right to his forehead to rub one of his temples. As if things couldn't get any worse, it looked like they would be stuck together in more ways than one. Hopefully, they would be able to survive.

 

 

\- End of Chapter-


	9. Chapter 9

It was late in the morning as Barnaby made his way down the sidewalk. Even with being in the city for a while he barely had a chance to explore. Much of that had to do with his busy schedule. He was either busy going on tours, performing shows, trying to learn what he could about Ouroboros, or was just too tired. It was hard trying to relax and just be himself. Keeping up appearances with the public persona that he put up for his audiences could be rather tiring.

 

Barnaby stopped in front of a building that he recognized, it was a closed down shop that was boarded up to keep out vandals. "So this place is closed down now, huh?"

 

The paint on the door was peeling and a thick layer of dust could be seen on the windows. The name of the store, that was painted on the window glass was slowly disappearing time. It was an old toyshop, one of the few places that Barnaby was sure that he could remember. He had gotten a birthday gift there with his parents when he was little. They brought him to that place so he could pick out a toy for himself. He even still had it somewhere in his belongings. A little blue toy robot with yellow eyes. He remembered being so proud of it because it reminded him of something that he saw once before. Something that had to do with his parent's work.

 

Barnaby remembered little about them. What he did know was that they were very intelligent and they loved him dearly. He also remembered seeing a place that they would sometimes take him to. It had a lot of technology there. Big machines some that could make a lightning and once Barnaby could have sworn that he saw a robot like as little blue friend. Of course Maverick told him that those were just dreams or fake memories. Even the therapist that Maverick had sent him to when he was little confirmed his uncle's assumption. It was one of things that always left the blond curious. He knew so little of his parents and Maverick didn't talk much about them either. Barnaby didn't even know if he had other relatives in Sternbild. If he did, maybe he could go talk to them and learn a little more about his family.

 

However, now wasn't the time to be thinking of such things. Barnaby reminded himself why he had gone out that day. He gave a short sigh and pursed his lips with disapproval. He spoke in a mocking version of his uncle's voice, "It's time to go on one of your 'play dates'."

 

Barnaby grumbled as he continued on his way down the sidewalk. Taking little note of his surroundings by that point. Save for a nearby clock that read which displayed that it was close to noon.

 

It had been about a month since he and Kotetsu started having their little 'play dates'. It sounded as though Barnaby were a child forced to play nice with another child. It was aggravating. Not just because the two of them would occasionally clash, but also because it felt like Maverick didn't see him as an adult at all.

 

Barnaby didn't have a whole lot time to dwell on that thought though. He could see the Kaburagi house just in the distance. He had to admit it was a charming house, the few of times that he had been there he found it was rather comfortable. As he approached the pathway that led to the porch, Barnaby could see the hunched form of Anju tending to the garden.

 

The elderly lady stood up from her work and gave a small stretch. She looked over her garden and then up towards the sun. It seemed like a good time to take a break. She was about to go inside the house to fix up some lunch and tea but paused when she caught sight of Barnaby. Her look of surprise shifted into a smile.

 

"Good morning Mrs. Kaburagi!" Barnaby called out to her as he walked up the pathway.

 

"It's a bit late for morning, if you ask me." Anju replied as she dusted the dirt off of her. She rather liked Barnaby, his visits often made things a little more lively.  "How are you doing today, dear?"

 

"The same as usual, it's nice to see you again." Barnaby said with a small smile. He had some respect for Anju. It was surprising how hard working woman like her could be the mother of somebody as laid-back as Kotetsu. "Is Kotetsu still asleep? I'm here for one of those 'required' visits."

 

Anju laughed a little. "No, he's wide awake. In fact he's practicing right now, so I'm afraid that you might have to wait a little while."

 

"Practicing? Practicing where?" Barnaby asked with a blink.

 

"In the basement, dear. My son and his wife turned it into a practice room after they bought the place." Anju explained as she made her way towards the side of the house. She motioned for him to follow her. "In fact, if you follow me this way..."

 

Barnaby followed Anju. As he did, he could hear the faint melody of music playing somewhere. Anju led him to a open window that led to the basement. When they came to a stop Barnaby could hear the music more clearly and the familiar sound of dance shoes tapping away. He got close enough to where he could peer into the window.

 

Just as Anju said there was a decent sized practice room, Barnaby could see that the floor had seen a lot of use over the years. Scuff marks and scratches were visible in the floor. On one of the walls there were old pictures and news articles put on display. In some of the pictures, Barnaby could see what he figured was a younger Kotetsu and his wife. He had to squint but he could almost make out a little of what some of the headlines said.

 

Right at that moment, Kotetsu danced right past the window and startled the blond. He seemed to be in much better form than he was weeks ago. He'd shuffle, leap, kick, and catch himself if he was about to slip up. What surprised Barnaby most was that even Kotetsu made a mistake he quickly recovered  and improvised. The older showman would make it look like it was just another part of the routine. Barnaby smiled and rolled his eyes, Kotetsu seemed to be hamming it up.

 

The laughter of a little girl signaled why. Seated on a nearby bench was Kaede, who was serving as her father's audience during his practice session. She applauded and cheered Kotetsu on as he tried different dance tricks. She would call out names of certain moves for him to do, as if she was quizzing him. Kotetsu would then do them to the best of his ability if he remembered them.

 

"Come on sweetheart, help your Papa with some practice." he motioned to Kaede to come over and join him on the dance floor.

 

Kaede got up on her feet and hurried over to stand next to her father. They started to dance together, Kaede doing her best to mimic her father's dance steps. Kotetsu tried to keep his movements easy for her to follow and progressed to more advanced dance steps.

 

"Good girl!" Kotetsu cheered as Kaede took his hand and he led her into a turn. "Now big finish!" He then hoisted her up into his arms and spun with her.

 

Kaede squealed and laughed at the same time. Not being able to decide whether to scold her father or admit that she was having fun. However, Kotetsu's dance shoe suddenly slipped and he ended up landing hard on his behind. He cringed as he felt a strange tingling in his tailbone and his face heat up as he blushed from embarrassment.

 

"Ah, sorry Kaede, I think you might be getting a little too big to do that with your Papa." Kotetsu said sheepishly. He then felt Kaede give them a firm hit on his shoulder; he couldn't help but laugh at the pout on her face.

 

"So he really does practice at home? All this time I thought he was fibbing." Barnaby smiled as he watched the two get up off the floor, he then looked to Anju. "Once in a while I'd catch him practicing on tour now and then, but I never saw him move like that."

 

"He was probably embarrassed to practice in front of you. Sometimes he has issues with self-confidence, a little surprising with how prideful he can act." Anju said with a fond smile. While she would have preferred Kotetsu getting a different job, it was good to see him passionate about something again.

 

That thought never had occurred to Barnaby. As Anju said, Kotetsu did act very prideful. Sometimes he came across as a real blowhard. It was ironic that it might have been just a cover to hide how he was really feeling. Barnaby wasn't sure why but it hurt a little that Kotetsu would keep something like that from him. "He could have said something to me..."

 

"Hmm, to be honest, you're not that easy to approach, young man." Anju pointed out to him. She was blunt and honest as she recalled Barnaby's past visits. "The first time you came over you were rather cold. It took a little while for you to warm up to us."

 

"I was?" Barnaby blinked, he tried to think back on his first visit to the Kaburagi house. He remembered being nervous. Perhaps his coldness was an act of instinct, an act of defense. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

 

"Real life is different than what you show the public, isn't it?" Anju said with a smile. She moved to give Barnaby a clap on the back but refrained when she noticed the dirt on her hands from gardening. Last thing she wanted was to ruin the boy's fine clothes. "Thanks to Kotetsu's shenanigans over the years I've gotten a pretty good idea of how show business people are."

 

Barnaby broke eye contact with Anju for a moment, feeling a little guilty. He didn't really want to think that he was also part of the problem when it came to getting along. However the more he thought about it, he was starting to see Anju's point. Perhaps it wasn't just Kotetsu had to work on his part of the teamwork.

 

"I know my son can be a bit of a fool but he does take his job seriously. When he and his late wife were starting out as an act, they didn't get along well either." Anju said as she reached out and gently turned Barnaby's head so that he would make eye contact with her. "But if you give him a chance and a bit of a push, he'll do his best to work hard for you."

 

Barnaby felt a little more at ease after hearing what Anju had to say. He felt that he was starting to understand Kotetsu a little more as well. Barnaby was about to say something but he was interrupted by a loud growl from his own stomach. He promptly shut his mouth and looked rather embarrassed. He could feel himself blush when he saw Anju laugh.

 

"My, it seems you're rather hungry as well." Anju then turned around and started to head back towards the front of the house. "Come inside and help me fix lunch and tea, I'm sure those two are going to be starving by the time they're done."

 

It was almost one in the afternoon when Kotetsu and Kaede came up from the basement. They were greeted by the scent of food and made their way to the kitchen. Kotetsu stopped in his tracks when he walked in and saw Barnaby seated at the kitchen table with his mother.

 

"Huh? Bunny? What are you doing here?" He asked, canting his head to the side.

 

"Barnaby!" Kaede said excitedly with a wide smile. "Are you here to join us for lunch?"

 

Barnaby couldn't help but laugh a little at Kaede's excitement and gave a nod. "I'm sorry to drop by so suddenly."

 

Kotetsu blinked and looked a little confused. There wasn't the usual 'bite' in Barnaby's words, not that he was complaining but it was a little new. Dare he say it, the kid almost seemed a little charming. Kotetsu scratched his beard as he wondered just what had gotten into the young man. His thoughts were interrupted when his mother caught his attention.

 

"Kotetsu, don't just stand around there gawking, it's rude." Anju said in a warning tone that only a mother could master. "Wash up and sit down to eat."

 

"Alright Mom, I will." Kotetsu said as he scratched the back of his head and walked towards the kitchen sink.

 

It wasn't that long before all of them were seated at the kitchen table, eating lunch and chatting away. Barnaby had to admit that lunch with the Kaburagi's was much different than what he was used to. Whenever he had lunch with his uncle Maverick, they were usually a lot quieter and often businesslike. Yet, the Kaburagi's were rather lively, even when they were eating. They had the peculiar habit of switching languages in mid conversation. Most of the time they would speak in English, then suddenly they would slip into fluent Japanese. Barnaby could have even sworn that he heard Kotetsu utter a few Spanish phrases as well. The topic of conversation would constantly change. From things like the weather, to work or school, and their family's store. Despite the chaoticness of it all, Barnaby found it oddly relaxing. It felt like a real family lunch, even if he just was a guest.

 

"Who's Muramasa?" Barnaby asked after hearing the name bounce around a few times.

 

"He's my uncle!" Kaede chirped. "He's also my dad's big brother."

 

Barnaby looked at Kotetsu a little surprised. If one of him was hard to handle as it was, what would it be like to have two?

 

"They're nothing alike." Anju said reassuringly. It wasn't that hard to figure out what Barnaby was thinking. "Muramasa is the opposite of his younger brother."

 

"Yeah, he's a real stick in the mud." Kotetsu scoffed before he took a sip of his tea. "We get along just like oil and water."

 

"That may be true Kotetsu, but your brother cares about you in his own way." Anju reminded him with a knowing look.

 

Kotetsu didn't say anything more, instead focused on eating his lunch. He wouldn't say it out loud but he knew exactly what his mother was talking about. Even if the Kaburagi Brothers usually didn't get along, it didn't mean that they didn't care about each other. After Tomoe's death, Muramasa was the first to offer Kotetsu a job at the store. Out of worry if his brother would find new work and to keep an eye on him after being dealt such an emotional blow. Of course Kotetsu refused, his pride wouldn't hear of it. Regardless, he was still secretly thankful for the offer. That was just how the Kaburagi Brothers were. Neither were good with feelings but they still came through for each other when it counted.

 

"Hmph! Stupid Muramasa." Kotetsu grumbled between bites, he prodded and moved his food around his plate with his fork. When him and his mother were alone he would have to ask her how he was doing.

 

"Does Muramasa dance as well?" Barnaby asked. He was trying to get a mental image of what the man was like.

 

This time Kaede was the one to add to the conversation. "Nope, dad is the only one that can dance but grandma and him think he should get another job."

 

"Kaede..." Kotetsu said with a tone of warning. It was obviously a subject that he did not want to talk about.

 

Kaede blushed a little, feeling embarrassed that she almost got scolded for such a silly thing. She was just telling the truth, wasn't that what adults were supposed to do?

 

"Oh, by the way, I figured we might as well try going out for a drink again tonight." Kotetsu announced, changing the subject.

 

"Oh no, not after what happened last time." Barnaby said as he shook his head. "I don't need to hauled into court again."

 

"It's not my fault you can't handle your liquor." Kotetsu complained with an exaggerated sigh. He was a little disappointed with the kid's objection.

 

"Me!? You were the one that-" Barnaby paused when he looked at both Anju and Kaede. He debated for a second if he really wanted to say what happened in front of them. He decided to refrain from mentioning it, wanting to spare everyone from the embarrassment. "You remember what happened last time, so I don't think it's a good idea."

 

"Hold it!" Kotetsu said as he held up a finger hushing Barnaby. "Now just hear me out for second, I have a surefire way to make sure that mess won't happen again."

 

Barnaby gave Kotetsu a skeptical look. The older man put up a confident front but for all Barnaby knew he could have just pulled an idea out of the air. "I really doubt that."

 

"Come on, it's a real easy idea. We'll just have another guy with us as the sober guy." Kotetsu explained with a shrug. "The third person will keep an eye on us. See? Easy!"

 

Barnaby thought the idea over for a moment. Surprisingly  it actually did make sense and it was pretty simple. Maybe it was safe to trust Kotetsu this time. "Alright, let's give it a shot then."

 

"Great! I'll call Tonio to join us then, he's pretty sensible." Kotetsu said as he clapped his hands and grinned. "The three of us can be drinking buddies!"

 

"That giant brute of a man? Last time he said he would fold me in half..." Barnaby mumbled as he remembered when he met that 'Tonio' guy. "And wait a second, you said he would be the sober guy. He's not going to drink, got it?"

 

"Aww, come on the guy can hold his liquor pretty well." Kotetsu insisted. "A couple of drinks wouldn't hurt him."

 

"No." Barnaby said with a tone of finality. He crossed arms over his chest and gave Kotetsu a stern look to emphasize his point.

 

"Hmph..." Kotetsu pouted and continued to prod his food with his fork. "Careful kid, you're going to end up being a stick in the mud just like my brother."

 

Lunch continued on for a little longer. Barnaby helped the Kaburagis clean up after they were done and had a chance to look at the practice room in the basement before he left. He and Kotetsu wouldn't see each other again until they met up at TopMag bar. Antonio was there as well, at first Barnaby and him were a little cold with each other. It didn't take too long for the tension to die down a little though. Ben was a great help with that by telling some of the old stories of the 'Terrible Tiger' and 'Brazen Bison'. Much to both Kotetsu and Antonio's embarrassment. Yet they were all able to laugh about it in the end, with the help of a couple of drinks of course.

 

"So you're an opera singer?" Barnaby asked, a little surprised.

 

Kotetsu slung an arm around Antonio's shoulder and grinned. "Yep! He loved the opera back when he was just a wee little punk!"

 

"Hey, I think this is my story to tell. " Antonio pressed a finger to Kotetsu's cheek and firmly pushed the man back a little distance. If he wasn't going to be drinking then he didn't need the smell of alcohol breath in his face. "My mom had a few records that she would listen to it night when my sisters and me were all going to sleep. Some of those songs were my lullabies when I was growing up. I didn't fall in love with the opera though until I saw show for myself."

 

"What did you see?" Barnaby asked as he leaned in just a little closer, interested in hearing more.

 

"I got to see 'Don Giovanni' by Mozart." Antonio said as he smiled fondly at the memory. "It sounds ridiculous but it was love at first sight. I've always wanted to be in that one but I lose auditions to bigger names. I have to build up my reputation a little more. I bet that this all sounds lame to a kid like you though, huh?"

 

"No, not really. To be honest, I love opera. I used to see more of it in Europe." Barnaby smiled as he thought about some of the shows that he went to. He had certain fondness for the power of the music and the stories they were often told in the way only opera could tell them. It was nice meeting somebody that shared that interest. "I haven't had chance to see one in a while. I've been so busy; it's hard to have some time to myself."

 

"Is that so? Well, I guess you're not that bad of kid." Antonio said with a little reluctance. He didn't want to admit it but he was starting to like Barnaby, a little. "Maybe I can get you in to see one of my shows someday."

 

"Hee, hee, hee! Isn't that cute, you two are becoming friends!" Kotetsu chimed in with a cheeky grin. He playfully poked Antonio in the arm, perfectly content with being a pest. It was clear that Barnaby and him had been drinking for a while at that point, as Kotetsu was getting a little tipsy. "Watch it Tonio, I might start getting jealous with you being that cute."

 

"And you still need to go to one of my damn shows!" Antonio reached up and caught Kotetsu in a headlock and pulled him in close. "I keep asking you to show me some damn support and you won't come! Stupid!"

 

"Bunny! He's picking on me! Help!" Kotetsu blurted out as he tried to wriggle free from Antonio's grip. "Quit it Bachelor Beef!" Kotetsu went limp as he gave up the struggle and pouted. His face looked ridiculous as it was squished against his best friend's leather jacket.

 

Barnaby shook his head and laughed at the sight. He had to admit that he was enjoying himself, he couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed drinking with others that much. "The way you to act, you guys could have a comedy act of your own if you wanted."

 

"Oh! Wait a minute! I wanted to talk to you about that!" Kotetsu said as he finally slipped a hand under Antonio's jacket and tickled his side.

 

Antonio squeaked and jerked as he tried to pull away from the offending fingers. Only to end up losing balance on his barstool and falling right off.

 

"Maverick, we had talked about that guy." Kotetsu said firmly as he tapped his finger against the bar counter to emphasize his point. "Honestly, I can't take his suggestions anymore. I get it, I'm supposed to be a glorified clown but let me have some respect!"

 

Barnaby blinked and canted his head to the side. He looked as though he had no idea what Kotetsu was even talking about. "What you mean? Uncle Maverick said that you have been agreeing to it all."

 

"Are you kidding me? Would you agree to be slapped with the fish? Or having your ribs elbowed three times a show?" Kotetsu pointed at Barnaby accusingly. He paused before he went on, according to Maverick Barnaby was perfectly fine with all of his suggestions. Did the kid really not know what was going on?

 

"Well, no I wouldn't." Barnaby answered honestly. "All I had to go on was what uncle Maverick told me. I did worry that it was going too far but if you were okay with it then I thought it was fine."

 

Something about the kid seemed sincere, it seemed like Barnaby really didn't know. Kotetsu sighed and started to calm down, he couldn't be mad at him if that was the case. "Then we need to talk more. Maverick might call the shots but we still need to think on our own a little. No offense, but the act is going to get stale and people are think we're a one trick pony."

 

Barnaby looked thoughtful for a moment. He never thought it would be necessary to question his uncle's choices. However, Kotetsu did raise a good point. If they just kept doing the same thing there was no doubt the people would get tired of it after a while. Even if Kotetsu himself was a little old-fashioned, he probably had some useful ideas.

 

"I see your point." Barnaby finally admitted. "I wish you told me sooner. I guess I didn't think about how you felt, I'm sorry."

 

Kotetsu crossed his arms and looked thoughtful, still a little tipsy but thoughtful nonetheless. "Okay then, how about we start over? And this time, let's try to be a real team. Whaddya say?"

 

Barnaby smiled a little, he was happy to hear that. It could have also been because he was probably getting a bit drunk himself by that point. He noticed that Kotetsu was offering him his hand, waiting for a handshake. Barnaby looked a little uncertain at first, remembering how their first handshake went. Yet that uncertainty soon faded as he took Kotetsu's hand and they gave a firm handshake in agreement. Starting over sounded like a brilliant idea, this time they would do it right.

 

"Okay!" Kotetsu called as he let go of Barnaby's hand and pumped a fist in the air. "What do you say ya shmucks and me go out and paint the town red?"

 

Ben suddenly paused from what he was doing and looked at Kotetsu. That was an all too familiar line that usually led to nothing good. "Uh oh..."

 

"Come on kid!" Kotetsu called out as he locked arms with Barnaby and tugged him out of his seat. "Tonio and me are gonna give you a real tour of the city! Come on Toni, get up off your ass!"

 

Before Ben could say anything to stop them Kotetsu, Antonio, and Barnaby had all made their way out of the bar. The TopMag owner slowly shook his head, he could feel in his bones that trouble was brewing. "Well, I know where they're gonna end up by morning."

 

The next morning in Sternbild was a beautiful one. The birds were singing, the sun was high in the air and bathed everything in its warm glow. It was another glorious start to what was going to be a prosperous day in the grand city. However, there were three that were not enjoying the lovely morning in Sternbild. Kotetsu, Antonio, and Barnaby all got to enjoy the ever friendly hospitality of the Sternbild police station. They were a complete mess from a wild night that landed them in a jail cell. Each woke up with hangovers, aching bodies, and little memory of what they did that got them arrested.

 

"Tonio, you were supposed to be the sober guy." Kotetsu groaned as he held his aching head. He was lying on the cell floor, feeling downright sorry for himself. "What the hell happened?"

 

"I...I don't know!" Antonio was seated in one of the corners of the cell. His back was faced to the two little bastards that caused him so much trouble. "Just don't talk to me!"

 

"I'm never drinking with you two idiots ever again." Barnaby groaned. He was leaning against the bars of the cell. He kept an eye out for Maverick in case he came to bail him out. He wasn't sure how he was even going to face the man with him being such a mess.

 

It was then that they heard a door open from down the hall and footsteps approach their jail cell. It wasn't Maverick that came to visit them. Instead Barnaby found himself staring eye to eye with judge Yuri Petrov. Barnaby jumped after a delayed reaction and move back from the jail cell door.

 

"Gentlemen..." Yuri's eyes narrowed as he studied each of them. They finally landed on Kotetsu and lingered there for a moment. "This is rather disappointing Mr. Kaburagi, I was hoping that you turned your act around."

 

Kotetsu rolled over on his other side and faced away from Yuri. He could still feel the judge's eyes on him which sent a shiver up his spine. He was sure that Yuri was going to have some choice words for him later that day in court.

 

"Um judge, I'm sorry to ask but what exactly did we do last night?" Barnaby asked as he rubbed his sore eyes. His hair was disheveled and stuck out at odd angles. He was such a mess that he was barely recognizable as the famous rookie star.

 

"You don't remember?" Yuri said with a little surprise, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. He then opened a file that he was carrying and looked through the papers. "I don't know all the details myself but it was a night to remember, that's for sure. Let's see, it involved five cans of paint, several stolen shop signs, a 'borrowed' policeman's horse, and a lot of tapioca pudding."

 

The three of them stared silently at the judge in disbelief. They then cast questioning glances at each other, in vain hope that one of them remembered the night before.

 

"Sometimes it's just better not to know." Yuri said with a small nod. "I'll see you later in court gentleman, enjoy your morning."

 

-End of Chapter-


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